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”I Feel Like a Stranger in the Community:” Social Isolation of Older African Immigrants
(Oxford University Press, 2025-12-31) Adeniji, Dolapo; Osokpo, Onome; Ashirifi, Gifty; Adamek, Margaret; School of Social Work
Social isolation—limited interactions, relationships, and engagements with others—negatively impacts health outcomes, particularly among older adults, leading to an increased risk of anxiety and depression. Yet little is known about social isolation amongst older African immigrants, a population at increased risk for social isolation. Using a qualitative narrative design, we explored the social isolation experiences of a purposive sample of African immigrants aged ≥60 years recruited across the US (N = 11). In-depth video/phone, audiotaped interviews were completed using a semi-structured guide. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. The sample was 55% female, 63–79 years old, mostly Nigerian (n = 7), with no primary/secondary education (n = 4), widowed (n = 4), and spouse not in the US (n = 4). All lived with family, and most (n = 10) have lived in the US for < 10 years. We identified two major themes: 1) minimal social engagement outside the family, with participants feeling like strangers in their communities; and 2) barriers to social engagement outside the home, including security concerns, a lack of individuals to socialize with, language barriers and cultural differences, and transportation challenges. Findings indicate that feeling like a stranger, lacking social connections, cultural differences, and lack of transportation contribute to feelings of isolation amongst older African immigrants. African immigrant communities should be educated about the challenges faced by their older adults. Likewise, practitioners and policymakers should prioritize interventions that encourage meaningful engagement of older African immigrants to improve their health and quality of life.
Relationship between age and severity of cognitive impairment at diagnosis for early-onset and late-onset Alzheimer's disease: Comparison of LEADS and ADNI
(Wiley, 2026) Hammers, Dustin B.; Eloyan, Ani; Thangarajah, Maryanne; Taurone, Alexander; Gao, Sujuan; Beckett, Laurel; Kirby, Kala; Dage, Jeffrey L.; Nudelman, Kelly; Aisen, Paul; Reman, Rema; Vemuri, Prashanthi; La Joie, Renaud; Touroutoglou, Alexandra; Atri, Alireza; Clark, David; Day, Gregory S.; Duara, Ranjan; Graff-Radford, Neill R.; Honig, Lawrence S.; Jones, David T.; Masdeu, Joseph C.; Mendez, Mario F.; Womack, Kyle; Musiek, Erik; Onyike, Chiadi U.; Riddle, Meghan; Grant, Ian; Rogalski, Emily; Johnson, Erik C. B.; Salloway, Steven; Sha, Sharon J.; Turner, Raymond Scott; Wingo, Thomas S.; Wolk, David A.; Carrillo, Maria C.; Dickerson, Bradford C.; Rabinovici, Gil D.; Apostolova, Liana G.; LEADS Consortium; Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative; Neurology, School of Medicine
Introduction: Recent work has identified unique cognitive profiles for early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) relative to late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), however, examination has been limited in determining whether the association between age and cognitive severity at presentation also differs across conditions.
Methods: A series of linear spline regression models was conducted across baseline cognitive data from 325 EOAD and 314 LOAD participants, after accounting for education, sex, and apolipoprotein ε4 status.
Results: Significant differences existed in the relationship between baseline age and cognitive performance between EOAD and LOAD samples for Processing Speed/Attention, Executive Functioning, and Episodic Immediate Memory. Younger participants from both EOAD and LOAD groups performed disproportionately worse on non-amnestic cognitive domains, with this occurring to a greater extent in EOAD than LOAD.
Discussion: In the age of disease-modifying treatments, results highlight the importance of assessing for cognitive declines in individuals starting much earlier than age 65.
Highlights: Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) and late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) participants each displayed cognitive impairments relative to same-aged peers across most domains. Both groups displayed positive relationships between impairment among non-amnestic cognitive domains and baseline age. This relationship displayed a significantly greater effect in EOAD than LOAD, with domains of Processing Speed/Attention and Executive Functioning skills being the most pronounced. Of those participants developing AD, age displayed a disproportionate impact on their symptom onset.
Front line child welfare perspectives on the utility and implementation of intensive family preservation services
(Elsevier, 2024) Dir, Allyson L.; Goodwin, Brian; Kearney, Aubrey; Sorrentino, Ciana; Stephens, Lori; Reed, David; Hollabaugh, Austin; Cuevas, Elaine M.; Luthman, Cathy A.; Cater, Vickie; Wilson, Elisabeth S.; Hendley, Heather; Kestian, Heather H.; Stigdon, Terry; Wiehe, Sarah; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
Background: The Family First Preservation Services Act (FFPSA) was passed in 2018 in part to increase use of evidence-based services among child welfare systems (CWS). As such, states have implemented new service models in order to fit legislation. The current manuscript reports on perspectives of CWS workers across one state regarding the utility of a new intensive family preservation services model.
Methods: CWS personnel completed surveys (n=279) and interviews (n=17) to assess their perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of the newly implemented intensive family preservation services model.
Results: Survey and interview data highlighted themes related to the importance of relationships between CWS personnel and service providers, perceived child safety under the new service provision model, and availability of services for families.
Conclusion: Continued work is needed to improve cross-system collaboration between CWS and community service providers both in implementation and adoption of new service models as well as for sustainability of service models, as collaborative relationships are essential to successful service delivery and child safety.
EMC3 is critical for CFTR function and calcium mobilization in the mouse intestinal epithelium
(American Physiological Society, 2025) Penrod, Sarah; Tang, Xiaofang; Moon, Changsuk; Whitsett, Jeffrey A.; Naren, Anjaparavanda P.; Huang, Yunjie; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Membrane proteins, such as the cystic fibrosis transmembrane-conductance regulator (CFTR), play a crucial role in gastrointestinal functions and health. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein complex (EMC), a multi-subunit insertase, mediates the incorporation of membrane segments into lipid bilayers during protein synthesis. Whether EMC regulates membrane proteins' processing and function in intestinal epithelial cells remains unclear. To investigate the role of EMC in the intestinal epithelium, we generated mice in which EMC subunit 3 (EMC3) was deleted in intestinal epithelial cells (EMC3ΔIEC). EMC3ΔIEC mice were viable but notably smaller compared with their wild-type littermates. Although the intestinal structure was generally maintained, EMC3ΔIEC crypts exhibited altered morphology, particularly at the base of the crypts with decreased goblet cells and paneth cells. Levels of multiple polytopic membrane proteins, including CFTR, were decreased in EMC3-deficient epithelial cells. Several calcium ATPase pumps were downregulated, and calcium mobilization was impaired in EMC3ΔIEC enteroids. CFTR-mediated organoid swelling in EMC3ΔIEC mice was impaired in response to both cAMP-dependent signaling and calcium-secretagogue stimulation. Our study demonstrated that EMC plays a critical role in maintaining intestinal epithelium homeostasis by regulating membrane protein biogenesis and intracellular calcium homeostasis. Maintaining intracellular calcium homeostasis may be a universal cellular function regulated by EMC.
NEW & NOTEWORTHY: We generated mice in which endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein complex (EMC) subunit 3 was deleted from intestinal epithelium cells and studied the molecular functions of EMC in vivo. Our findings demonstrate the importance of intestinal EMC in the biogenesis of membrane proteins in vivo, including CFTR, and highlight its critical role in maintaining intracellular calcium homeostasis and, consequently, in calcium-dependent functions in the intestine and beyond.
Applications of Machine Learning for Cognitive Health in Older Individuals With HIV: Rapid Systematic Review
(JMIR, 2025-12-31) Cho, Hwayoung; Song, Jiyoun; Cho, Hannah; Li, Lin; Liang, Renjie; Miranda, Railton; Song, Qianqian; Bian, Jiang; Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
Background: More than half of people with HIV are now older than 50 years, and they face an approximately 60% higher risk of developing dementia compared with the general population. In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning, combined with the growing availability of large datasets, has opened new avenues for developing prediction models that improve dementia detection, monitoring, and management.
Objective: This systematic review aimed to synthesize the existing literature on the application of machine learning in dementia research among older people with HIV and identify directions for future research.
Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase in September 2024, limited to studies published within the past 10 years. Eligible articles included original research involving people with HIV applying at least 1 machine learning technique and reporting dementia-related outcomes.
Results: The search yielded 721 articles, of which 26 (3.6%) met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were retrospective and conducted in the United States (n=14, 53.8%), primarily focusing on neurocognitive impairment and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Supervised machine learning techniques were most frequently used and demonstrated strong predictive performance. Common methodological challenges included small sample sizes, lack of external validation, limited participant diversity, and concerns about biological interpretability and generalizability.
Conclusions: Machine learning research on dementia among older people with HIV primarily targets HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, with limited exploration of age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease and related dementias. The absence of longitudinal studies and external validation remains a key limitation. Future research should broaden the focus to all-cause dementia beyond HIV-specific conditions; apply advanced machine learning methods; and leverage large-scale longitudinal, multimodal datasets. Strengthening methodological rigor and enhancing real-world applications will be critical to improving early detection and effective management of cognitive health in this unique aging population.