scholarly journals Testicle histomorphometry in senescence/senility under use of homeopathy

Author(s):  
Cideli de Paula Coelho ◽  
Amanda do C. Souza ◽  
Victoria Arrifano ◽  
Flora Cordeiro ◽  
Maria Martha Bernardi

Aging is an extremely complex and multifactorial process. Over time, the elderly begin exhibiting signs of function reduction. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of homeopathic medicines on testicle histomorphometry in senescence/senility. The study was approved by the animal experimentation ethics committee of Santo Amaro University (07/2015). The rats (Wistar, all male, with 22-23 months of age were used) were caged with access to food and water ad libitum and 12-hour light cycle (7:00 am to 7:00 pm). The homeopathic medicines were prepared following the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. The animals were randomly distributed in 4 groups (n= 6): control; hydroalcoholic solution; Calcarea carbonica 30cH (Calc) and Baryta muriatica 30cH (Bar-m). 5 globules of the medicines were added to each water dispenser; the containers were changed twice per week along 40 days. All investigators were blinded to the allocation groups. After 40 days all the animals were euthanized and the testicles collected. Based on their width and length, the testicles’ volume was calculated by means of the ellipsoid formula. Slides were prepared and stained with PAS. Photographs were taken of the slides with 40x magnification under microscope; software Image J was used to measure the diameter of 50 seminiferous tubules per slide (animal), diameter of the parenchyma and lumen of each tubule. Statistical analysis was performed by means of ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test; the significance level was set to p≤ 0.05. Increase of the testicles’ volume, increased parenchymal diameter and decrease of the tubular lumen was found in groups Calc and Bar-m compared to controls and the group treated with hydroalcoholic solution (p ≤ 0.05). We conclude that the tested homeopathic medicines changed the testicle histomorphometry of animals in senescence/senility. Keywords: Testicular histomorphometry, homeopathy, Calcarea carbonica, Baryta muriatica, Senescence/Senility

2019 ◽  
pp. 137-143
Author(s):  
Dennys Christovel Dese ◽  
Cahyo Wibowo

Peningkatan jumlah lansia setiap tahunnya harus dijadikan perhatian, akibat adanya peningkatan jumlah lansia masalah yang dihadapi akan menjadi semakin kompleks, salah satunya adalah masalah yang berkaitan dengan gejala penuaan. Menurunnya kapasitas intelektual berhubungan erat dengan fungsi kognitif pada lansia. Aktivitas fisik diidentifikasi sebagai salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi fungsi kognitif. Aktivitas fisik bermanfaat untuk lansia sebagai pencegahan dan demensia. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian analitik observasional dengan menggunakan pendekatan cross sectional. Penelitian dilakukan di yayasan sosial Panti Wredha Salib Putih Salatiga pada bulan Juni 2018. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah lansia yang berumur ?60 tahun. Subjek pada penelitian ini berjumlah 16 responden. Variabel independen dalam penelitian ini adalah aktivitas fisik yang dinilai dengan menggunakan instrument GPAQ. Sedangkan variabel dependen dalam penelitian ini adalah fungsi kognitif yang dinilai dengan instrument MMSE. Terdapat 4 orang (25%) yang masuk dalam kategori fungsi kognitif normal dengan kategori aktifitas fisik sedang 1 orang dan aktifitas berat 3 orang, kemudian yang termasuk dalam kategori gangguan fungsi kognitif ringan sebanyak 11 orang (68,75%), dengan kategori aktifitas fisik sedang 8 orang dan aktifitas ringan 3 orang. Sedangkan yang termasuk dalam kategori gangguan fungsi kognitif berat, terdapat 1 orang (6,25%) dengan kategori aktifitasnya ringan. Taraf signifikansi antar variabel tingkat aktifitas fisik dan fungsi kognitif pada lansia adalah p=0.007 atau p<0,05, sehingga dapat disimpulkan ada  hubungan antara tingkat aktifitas fisik dengan fungsi kognitif pada lansia.   Increasing the number of elderly people every year should be a concern, due to an increase in the number of elderly problems faced will become increasingly complex, one of which is a problem related to the symptoms of aging. Decreased intellectual capacity is closely related to cognitive function in the elderly. Physical activity is identified as one of the factors that influence cognitive function. Physical activity is beneficial for the elderly as prevention and dementia. This study was an observational analytic study using a cross sectional approach. The study was conducted at the social foundation nursing home in the white cross in June 2018. The population in this study was elderly aged ≥60 years. The subjects in this study were 16 respondents. The independent variable in this study is physical activity that is assessed using the GPAQ instrument. While the dependent variable in this study was cognitive function which was assessed by the MMSE instrument. There are 4 people (25%) who fall into the category of normal cognitive function with moderate physical activity categories 1 person and heavy activities 3 people, then those included in the category of mild cognitive function disorders are 11 people (68.75%), with the category of physical activity being 8 people and 3 light activities. While those included in the category of severe cognitive function disorders, there is 1 person (6.25%) with a mild activity category. The significance level between the level of physical activity and cognitive function in the elderly is p = 0.007 or p <0.05, so it can be concluded that there is a relationship between the level of physical activity and cognitive function in the elderly.


Author(s):  
Iasmim Batista Correia ◽  
Nathalie De Almeida Silva ◽  
Paulo Granges e Silva ◽  
Tarciana Nobre de Menezes

Aging leads to psychological losses and various physical changes that, associated with body-stereotyped patterns imposed by society, can cause disturbances in the body image perception (BIP) in the elderly. The aim of this study was to evaluate BIP in older adults living in the city of Campina Grande / PB and its relationship with different anthropometric and body composition indicators. This cross-sectional study was carried out with older adults of both sexes enrolled in the Family Health Strategy of Campina Grande, PB. BIP was considered as a dependent variable and body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), triceps skinfold (TSF), and arm fat area (AFA) as independent variables. The association between BIP and anthropometric indicators was verified using the Pearson chi-square test (X²), simple and multiple logistic regression, with significance level of p <0.05. Overall, 420 older adults were interviewed (68.1% women), of whom 409 reported their actual body image perception. Regarding the perception of idealized body image, 11 individuals did not respond and 230 were satisfied, since 179 desired another silhouette. Individuals with BMI indicative of overweight / obesity were more likely of showing body image dissatisfaction compared to those with normal weight. Subjects with excessive TSF showed greater body image dissatisfaction in relation to those with normal weight. Women were more likely of showing body image dissatisfaction. Thus, it was observed that variables BMI, TSF and sex were independently associated with body image satisfaction.


2016 ◽  
Vol 130 (8) ◽  
pp. 706-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
O Hilly ◽  
E Hwang ◽  
L Smith ◽  
D Shipp ◽  
J M Nedzelski ◽  
...  

AbstractBackground:Cochlear implantation is the standard of care for treating severe to profound hearing loss in all age groups. There is limited data on long-term results in elderly implantees and the effect of ageing on outcomes. This study compared the stability of cochlear implantation outcome in elderly and younger patients.Methods:A retrospective chart review of cochlear implant patients with a minimum follow up of five years was conducted.Results:The study included 87 patients with a mean follow up of 6.8 years. Of these, 22 patients were older than 70 years at the time of implantation. Hearing in Noise Test scores at one year after implantation were worse in the elderly: 85.3 (aged under 61 years), 80.5 (61–70 years) and 73.6 (aged over 70 years;p= 0.039). The respective scores at the last follow up were 84.8, 85.1 and 76.5 (p= 0.054). Most patients had a stable outcome during follow up. Of the elderly patients, 13.6 per cent improved and none had a reduction in score of more than 20 per cent. Similar to younger patients, elderly patients had improved Short Form 36 Health Survey scores during follow up.Conclusion:Cochlear implantation improves both audiometric outcome and quality of life in elderly patients. These benefits are stable over time.


1989 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidan Kelly

ABSTRACTThe theory of incrementalism is a long-standing and influential perspective on policy making and resource allocation in the public sector. Previous research on social services budgeting suggests that resources are allocated incrementally, although there has been some debate as to whether this would persist in an era of prolonged expenditure restraint. Incremental budgetary outcomes are operationalised as percentage changes in budgets pro-rata with percentage changes in the total budget, and as stable shares of total expenditure for each activity. Data for 99 English social service departments supports incrementalism in that budget shares change by only 1.8 per cent, but percentage allocations depart from pro-rata incrementalism by a mean of 74 per cent. The comparison of the two summary indices over time supports those who have argued that prolonged restraint would encourage non-incremental budgeting, but change in the agency's total budget does not consistently predict budgetary outcomes. The effect of restraint on incrementalism varies with the measure used and across the component activities of the measures, but there is enough evidence to suggest a significant decline in the level of incrementalism in social service departments. In particular, non-incremental budgeting is strongly associated with the growth of day centre expenditure on the mentally ill and the elderly before 1982–3, and after that with the pursuit of the ‘community care’ strategy within state provided services for the elderly and children. Incrementalism as a general theory of agency budgeting is limited in its ability to explain variations in the degree of incrementalism between agencies, between component budgets and over time. The conclusion suggests that further research should seek explanations for these variations in the varying balance of the competing forces which shape outcomes in welfare bureaucracies and in the relationship between these forces and the organisation's environment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natália Araujo de Almeida ◽  
Annelita Almeida Oliveira Reiners ◽  
Rosemeiry Capriata de Souza Azevedo ◽  
Ageo Mário Cândido da Silva ◽  
Joana Darc Chaves Cardoso ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: to verify the prevalence of and factors associated with polypharmacy among elderly residents of the city of Cuiabá, in the state of Mato Grosso. Method: a cross-sectional study of 573 people aged 60 and over was performed. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more medications. To investigate the association between polypharmacy and sociodemographic variables, health and access to medication, the Mantel Haenszel chi square test was used in bivariate analysis and Poisson regression was used in multivariate analysis. The significance level adopted was 5%. Result: the prevalence of polypharmacy was 10.30%. Statistically significant associations were found between polypharmacy and living with others, describing suffering from circulatory, endocrine, nutritional and digestive tract diseases, and referring to financial difficulties for the purchase of medicines. Conclusion: some social and health condition factors play an important role in the use of multiple medications among the elderly.


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Campo Meschial ◽  
Dorotéia Fátima Pelissari de Paula Soares ◽  
Nelson Luiz Batista de Oliveira ◽  
Alice Milani Nespollo ◽  
Wesley Alexandre da Silva ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE: To identify elderly who are victims of falls, according to gender, who received care from prehospital services of Maringá, Paraná. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study carried out with 1,444 elderly patients who suffered falls in Maringá in the period from 2006 to 2008. Data were gathered from prehospital care services, typed and processed using the Epi Info 6.04d(r). The χ² test was used to compare the falls in relation to gender (significance level = 0.05). RESULTS: The number of falls according to gender presented similar percentages, 51.0% for males and 49.0% for females. Significant differences between genders were observed regarding age (p < 0.001), presence of alcohol breath (p < 0.001), type of fall (p < 0.001), place of fall (p < 0.001), treatment at hospital (p = 0.023), number of injuries (p = 0.014), type of injury (p < 0.001) and injury location (p <0.001). CONCLUSION: These results show that falls happen differently among the elderly when considering gender. It highlights the importance of understanding these differences in detail and the circumstances in which the fall occurred, since this knowledge is key to plan preventive actions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 818-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Aparecida Silveira ◽  
Luana Dalastra ◽  
Valéria Pagotto

Polypharmacy is a common practice among the elderly, but few studies have evaluated its association with nutritional markers. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy and its association with nutritional markers, chronic diseases, sociodemographic and health variables. This research is part of the Study Elderly/Goiânia, which evaluated 418 elderly community in a cross-sectional design. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more concomitant medications. The following nutritional markers were investigated: BMI, waist circumference, percentage body fat, weight gain and loss, use of diet, daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, skimmed and whole milk. Multivariate analysis was performed using hierarchical Poisson regression, with significance level set at 5%. The prevalence of polypharmacy was 28% (95%CI 23.1 - 32.5), with a significant association with feminine gender, age range 75 - 79 years, eutrophic nutritional status and obesity, use of diet, poor self-rated health and presence of two, three or more chronic diseases. The high prevalence of polypharmacy and its association with nutritional markers and chronic diseases call the attention for the need of nutritional surveillance and monitoring in the elderly.


1959 ◽  
Vol 196 (5) ◽  
pp. 965-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarence Cohn ◽  
Dorothy Joseph

Normal young adult male rats were either force-fed or allowed to eat ad libitum a moderate carbohydrate diet for 3–4 weeks. The force-fed animals were given either the amount of diet consumed by the animals eating ad libitum (pair-fed) or 80% of this amount (underfed). After a 2-week period of observation, we found that the rats eating ad libitum gained 65 gm of body weight, the pair-fed, force-fed 62 gm and the underfed, force-fed 40 gm. On the basis of the water, fat and protein content of the skin, viscera and carcass of control animals killed at the beginning of the feeding regimen and of similar constituents of the experimental animals after 2 weeks of feeding, the composition of the newly formed tissues of the various groups of animals consisted of the following: a) the rat with free access to food—water = 67.8%, fat = 7.8% and protein = 22.4%; b) the pair-fed, force-fed animal—water = 55.5%, fat = 23.6% and protein = 17.7%; c) the underfed, force-fed animal—water = 64.4%, fat = 7.9% and protein = 20.0%. The ratio of calories retained in newly formed tissue to the calories ingested over the 2-week period was 11.9% for the animals eating ad libitum, 20.6% for the pair-fed, force-fed animals and 9.5% for the underfed, force-fed rats. Force feeding appears to change intermediary metabolic pathways in the direction of increased ‘efficiency’ with resultant greater fat deposition.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carin Holmquist ◽  
Elisabeth Sundin

PurposeThe aim of this article is to discuss how age and entrepreneurship interact in the specific case of older (50+) entrepreneurs. Building on theories on entrepreneurship and theories on age and aging, the authors’ focus is on how such entrepreneurs relate to the building and running of a business organization. The authors discuss how entrepreneurship among the elderly plays out and how older entrepreneurs relate to the narratives on both age and entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachThis research comprises quantitative as well as qualitative studies. The authors show that qualitative methods that unfold the process over time are necessary and essential to fully understand how and why entrepreneurs start their own business and/or continue to run it at older ages.FindingsThe authors find that the choice to become an entrepreneur at the age of 50+ (or to stay as one) is not a goal in itself, becoming an entrepreneur is a means to stay active in the labor market.Originality/valueThe study findings add to entrepreneurship theory by insights on the link between entrepreneurship and the labor market where the authors argue that becoming an entrepreneur at ages 50+ might be more a question of choice of organizational form than a question on a way of living or occupation. The authors also contribute to theories on age by showing that entrepreneurs aged 50+ choose entrepreneurship as a means to be able to stay in the labor market.


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