Are changes in self-rated health associated with memory decline in older adults?

OBJECTIVE: The association between patterns of change in self-rated health (SRH) and memory trajectories in older adults was examined using a systematic approach. METHOD: Data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 6,016) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n = 734) were analyzed. Individuals were grouped into five categories according to their pattern of change in SRH over 8 years: stable excellent/very good/good, stable fair/poor, improvement, decline, and fluctuating pattern without a trend. Memory was measured using immediate and delayed recall tests. Kruskal–Wallis, chi-squares tests, and linear mixed models were used to examine the association. RESULTS: Different rates of decline in memory can be identified in the different patterns of change in SRH. Those who had a stable excellent/very good/good pattern had the slowest rate of decline. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that SRH status and patterns of change could be used as a marker of cognitive decline in prevention screening programs

Education, occupational class, and cognitive decline in preclinical dementia

We investigated education and occupational influences as markers of cognitive reserve in relation to cognitive performance and decline on multiple fluid and crystallized abilities in preclinical dementia. From the total sample of 702 participants stemming from the OCTO-Twin Study (Sweden), aged 80+ at baseline in 1992-1993, only those who developed dementia during the study period (N = 127) were included in these analyses. Random effects models were used to examine the level of performance at the time of dementia diagnosis and the rates of decline prior to diagnosis. The results demonstrated that both fluid and crystallized abilities decline in preclinical stages, and that education and occupational class have independent moderating roles on the cognitive performance at the time of diagnosis, but not on the rates of decline

An international evaluation of cognitive reserve and memory changes in early old age in ten European countries

BACKGROUND: Cognitive reserve was postulated to explain individual differences in susceptibility to ageing, offering apparent protection to those with higher education. We investigated the association between education and change in memory in early old age. METHODS: Immediate and delayed memory scores from over 10,000 individuals aged 65 years and older, from 10 countries of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), were modeled as a function of time in the study over an 8-year period, fitting independent latent growth models (LGM). Education was used as a marker of cognitive reserve and evaluated in associations with memory performance and rate of change, while accounting for income, general health, smoking, body mass index (BMI), sex and baseline age. RESULTS: In most countries, more educated individuals performed better on both memory tests at baseline, compared to those less educated. However, education was not protective against faster decline, except for in Spain for both immediate and delayed recall (0.007 (SE=0.003) & 0.006 (SE=0.002), and Switzerland for immediate recall 0.006 (SE=0.003). Interestingly, highly educated Italian respondents had slightly faster declines in immediate recall (-0.006 (SE=0.003)). CONCLUSIONS: We found weak evidence of a protective effect of education on memory change in most European samples, although there was a positive association with memory performance at individuals' baseline assessment

O impacto das licita??es na execu??o do or?amento da Reitoria do Instituto Federal da Para?ba-IFPB: um estudo das aquisi??es de materiais permanentes e de consumo no exerc?cio de 2017

Este estudo, que buscou verificar os procedimentos licitat?rios e seus efeitos na execu??o do or?amento da Reitoria do IFPB no exerc?cio de 2017 na a??o 20RL Funcionamento, verificou se falhas na execu??o das licita??es prejudicaram a execu??o do or?amento e consequente perda de recurso. Para isso, fez-se necess?rio levantamento documental atrav?s de portais do Governo Federal, bem com entrevista semiestruturada com o Diretor de Or?amento da Reitoria do IFPB, para que se pudesse atingir aos fins propostos. Optou-se pela Reitoria do IFPB e pelo exerc?cio de 2017, por quest?es pr?ticas, pois analisar a execu??o do or?amento de todos os campi do IFPB tornaria o trabalho mais complexo e exigiria mais tempo de pesquisa. Com a coleta dos dados verificou-se que as licita??es de aquisi??es de bens e servi?os s?o de forma majorit?ria na modalidade preg?o e que h? significativa demora na conclus?o dos processos, associadas a ?ndice consider?vel de itens cancelados. Isso provoca retrabalhos, o retardamento da execu??o do or?amento da Reitoria para o segundo semestre e consequentemente elevado ?ndice de notas de empenhos inscritas em restos a pagar, aumentando as probabilidades de inadimpl?ncia de fornecedores e perdas de recursos

Patterns of Individual Shopping Behavior

Much of economic theory is built on observations of aggregate, rather than individual, behavior. Here, we present novel findings on human shopping patterns at the resolution of a single purchase. Our results suggest that much of our seemingly elective activity is actually driven by simple routines. While the interleaving of shopping events creates randomness at the small scale, on the whole consumer behavior is largely predictable. We also examine income-dependent differences in how people shop, and find that wealthy individuals are more likely to bundle shopping trips. These results validate previous work on mobility from cell phone data, while describing the unpredictability of behavior at higher resolution.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Hierarchy and Speed of Loss in Physical Functioning: A Comparison Across Older U.S. and English Men and Women

Background: We aimed to identify the hierarchy of rates of decline in 16 physical functioning measures in U.S. and English samples, using a systematic and integrative coordinated data analysis approach. Methods: The U.S. sample consisted of 13,612 Health and Retirement Study participants, and the English sample consisted of 5,301 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing participants. Functional loss was ascertained using self-reported difficulties performing 6 activities of daily living and 10 mobility tasks. The variables were standardized, rates of decline were computed, and mean rates of decline were ranked. Mann– Whitney U tests were performed to compare rates of decline between studies. Results: In both studies, the rates of decline followed a similar pattern; difficulty with eating was the activity that showed the slowest decline and climbing several flights of stairs and stooping, kneeling, or crouching the fastest declines. There were statistical differences in the speed of decline in all 16 measures between countries. American women had steeper declines in 10 of the measures than English women. Similar differences were found between American and English men. Conclusions: Reporting difficulties climbing several flights of stairs without resting, and stooping, kneeling, or crouching are the first indicators of functional loss reported in both populations

Los niveles en ayunas de Apolipoproteína b48 no son útiles como marcador de la Hiperliproteinemia tipo I

Los quilomicrones se encuentran elevados en las hiperlipoproteinemias tipo I y tipo V; diferenciar ambas requiere una tediosa ultracentrifugación. Esta comunicación trata de evaluar si la cuantificación en ayunas de la apolipoproteina B48 podría ser útil para diferenciarlasUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Adherence to the Eatwell Guide and cardiometabolic, cognitive and neuroimaging parameters: an analysis from the PREVENT dementia study

BackgroundThe Eatwell guide reflects the UK government\u27s recommendations for a healthy and balanced diet. Previous research has identified associations between healthy eating patterns and both cardiovascular and brain health, although there is little evidence specifically focusing on the Eatwell Guide. To date no research has investigated associations between the Eatwell Guide and risk for future dementia.MethodsData from the PREVENT dementia cohort study baseline visit was used in this analysis. Binary and graded Eatwell Guide scores (BEWG, GEWG) were created from a self-reported Food Frequency Questionnaire. The CAIDE score was included as the primary outcome measure to represent risk for future Alzheimer’s disease. Secondary outcome measures included cardiometabolic health measures and brain health measures. Generalised additive models were run in R.ResultsA total of 517 participants were included in the analysis, with a mean BEWG score of 4.39 (\ub1 1.66) (out of a possible 12 points) and GEWG score of 39.88 (\ub1 6.19) (out of a possible 60 points). There was no significant association between either Eatwell Guide score and the CAIDE score (BEWG β: 0.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.07, 0.22; GEWG β: 0.02, 95% CI: -0.02, 0.06) or any measures of brain health. There was a significant association between higher GEWG score and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) (systolic β: -0.24, 95% CI: -0.45, -0.03; diastolic β: -0.16, 95% CI: -0.29, -0.03; BMI β: -0.09, 95% CI: -0.16, -0.01).ConclusionsAlthough not directly associated with the CAIDE score, the Eatwell Guide dietary pattern may be beneficial for dementia prevention efforts through the modification of hypertension and obesity, which are both known risk factors for dementia. Future work could replicate these findings in other UK-based cohorts as well as further development of Eatwell Guide scoring methodologies