The global population is aging. In many industrial countries, almost one in five people are over age 65. As people age, gradual changes ensue in vision, hearing, balance, coordination, and memory. Products, communication materials, and the physical environment must be thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of people of all ages. This article summarizes normal changes in sensory function, mobility, balance, memory, and attention that occur with age. It presents practical guidelines that allow design professionals to accommodate these changes and better meet the needs of older adults. Designing for older adults is inclusive design: it accommodates a range of physical and cognitive abilities and promotes simplicity, flexibility, and ease of use for people of any age.

The metabolism of the environmental carcinogen fluoroanthene by human liver microsomes was compared to that by liver microsomes from rats treated with Aroclor 1254. Although the human-derived system gave primarily one product, similar metabolites were noted from each system. Enantiomers of the major metabolic product, in both cases the trans-2,3-dihydrodiol, were separated by chiral stationary-phase chromatography. Absolute configurations were assigned by application of the benzoate exciton chirality rules to the CD spectra of the 4-(dimethylamino)benzoyl esters. Liver microsomes from Aroclor 1254-treated rats produced the R,R enantiomer of the diol in 75-78% enantiomeric excess, while human liver microsomes produced this enantiomer in only 6-12% excess. The activities of these enantiomers were compared in Salmonella typhimurium strain TM677 mutagenicity assays employing the 9000g supernatant of Aroclor 1254-induced rat liver homogenates. Both the syn- and anti-2,3-dihydrodiol 1,10b-epoxides, which had only been inferred to be metabolites in previous studies, were isolated from the microsomal incubations by preparative reverse-phase HPLC. The evident exceptional aqueous stabilities of these diol epoxides were further examined by half-life determination experiments. Their tetrahydrotetrol hydrolysis products were also noted in the metabolite HPLC profiles. The structures of the tetrahydrotetrols were confirmed by total synthesis.

The dose-dependence of hemoglobin binding as well as distribution of fluoranthene and fluoranthene-DNA adducts in various tissues was characterized in male rats 24 h after a single i.p. injection of [3H]fluoranthene. Formation and distribution of DNA adducts after chronic administration of fluoranthene in the diet was also studied. Fluoranthene-derived radioactivity was widely distributed throughout the animal after a single dose, and excreta contained the greatest amounts of radioactivity at all dose levels. Fluoranthene binding to globin was proportional to dose over the range of 2 nmol/kg to 177 mumol/kg, and the adducted protein was cleared at the same rate as unmodified hemoglobin, indicating that the adducts are stable in vivo. In contrast, fluoranthene-DNA adducts were not present at detectable levels in liver or kidney 24 h after one dose; low levels of adducts were found only in the lung at the highest dose level. Chronic administration of fluoranthene in the diet, however, resulted in DNA adduct formation in most tissues examined, including liver, kidney, lung, small intestine, heart, spleen and lymphocytes; adducts were not detectable in testes DNA. The major fluoranthene-DNA adduct found in rat tissues was identified by its chromatographic similarity to the major fluoranthene adduct formed in vitro using microsomally-activated fluoranthene and calf thymus DNA, previously identified as a reaction product of anti-2,3-dihydroxy-1,10b-epoxy-1,2,3-trihydro-fluoranthene with N2-deoxyguanosine. The unusual stability of this diol epoxide at physiological pH may allow transport of this ultimate DNA-binding metabolite to virtually all tissues. These results demonstrate the applicability of the HPLC-32P-postlabelling procedure to detect and quantify fluoranthene-DNA adducts formed in vivo, and suggest that analysis of these adducts in accessible tissues such as lymphocytes may be a means of assessing chronic, high level exposure to fluoranthene. Our results also indicate that hemoglobin adducts of fluoranthene could be useful dosimeters for detecting short-term or chronic exposure to this compound if a suitable method for their detection were developed.

Therapeutic riding (THR) and HeartMath (HM) mindfulness-based interventions have promise for reducing stress in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. In three 10-week periods, this study compared THR, HM, and control on salivary cortisol, self-reported stress, parent-reported social responsiveness, and heart-rate variability. This crossover design included 27 participants (12–21 years) randomly assigned to order of intervention. Findings suggest that HM and THR manualized protocols are equally beneficial in decreasing cortisol levels immediately following a session, but HM sessions had more impact on heart-rate variability. There was no significant effect on follow-up cortisol levels within a week after either intervention, but THR had more impact on decreasing some self-reported stressors.

A paucity of research exists with regard to the comparative benefits of individualized goal-directed recreational therapy process and a naturalistic peer-mediated approach for social skill outcomes for youth with autism spectrum disorders. Delivered in four sessions with the same type of recreational modalities with peer mentors, one group (n = 7) received an individualized goal-directed recreational therapy program while the other (n = 7) received a social group program. Measures included parent report of social skills, self-report of self-efficacy for physical activity, and real-time observation of discrete social skills. Based on the outcomes, individualized goal-directed recreational therapy using peer mentors appears to be more effective in targeting social skills and self-efficacy for physical activity than a nonindividualized naturalistic program. Recreational therapy may impact outcomes through more intentional targeting of individual goals to aid social competence and self-efficacy for physical activity.