Operationalizing Frailty in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study Cohort

Background: Factors that may contribute to the development of frailty in late life have not been widely investigated. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study cohort presents an opportunity to examine relationships of midlife risk factors with frailty in late life. However, we first present findings on the validation of an established frailty phenotype in this predominantly biracial population of older adults. Methods: Among 6,080 participants, we defined frailty based upon the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) criteria incorporating measures of weight loss, exhaustion, slow walking speed, low physical activity, and low grip strength. Criterion and predictive validity of the frailty phenotype were estimated from associations between frailty status and participants' physical and mental health status, physiologic markers, and incident clinical outcomes. Results: A total of 393 (6.5%) participants were classified as frail and 50.4% pre-frail, similar to CHS (6.9% frail, 46.6% pre-frail). In age-adjusted analyses, frailty was concurrently associated with depressive symptoms, low self-rated health, low medication adherence, and clinical biomarker levels (ie, cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, and hemoglobin). During 1-year follow-up, frailty was associated with falls, low physical ability, fatigue, and mortality. Conclusions: These findings support the validity of the CHS frailty phenotype in the ARIC Study cohort. Future studies in ARIC may elucidate early-life exposures that contribute to late-life frailty

A Population of Dipper Stars from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite Mission

Dipper stars are a classification of young stellar objects that exhibit dimming variability in their light curves, dropping in brightness by 10-50%, likely induced by occultations due to circumstellar disk material. This variability can be periodic, quasi-periodic, or aperiodic. Dipper stars have been discovered in young stellar associations via ground-based and space-based photometric surveys. We present the detection and characterization of the largest collection of dipper stars to date: 293 dipper stars, including 234 new dipper candidates. We have produced a catalog of these targets, which also includes young stellar variables that exhibit predominately bursting-like variability and symmetric variability (equal parts bursting and dipping). The total number of catalog sources is 414. These variable sources were found in a visual survey of TESS light curves, where dipping-like variability was observed. We found a typical age among our dipper sources of <5 Myr, with the age distribution peaking at ~2 Myr, and a tail of the distribution extending to ages older than 20 Myr. Regardless of the age, our dipper candidates tend to exhibit infrared excess, which is indicative of the presence of disks. TESS is now observing the ecliptic plane, which is rich in young stellar associations, so we anticipate many more discoveries in the TESS dataset. A larger sample of dipper stars would enhance the census statistics of light curve morphologies and dipper ages.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, 1 table (included in latex source), accepted for publication in ApJ

Thoracic dysfunction in whiplash associated disorders: A systematic review

© 2018 Heneghan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background Research investigating Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD) has largely focused on the cervical spine yet symptoms can be widespread. Thoracic spine pain prevalence is reported ~66%; perhaps unsurprising given the forceful stretch/eccentric loading of posterior structures of the spine, and the thoracic spine’s contribution to neck mobility/function. Approximately 50% WAD patients develop chronic pain and disability resulting in high levels of societal and healthcare costs. It is time to look beyond the cervical spine to fully understand anatomical dysfunction in WAD and provide new directions for clinical practice and research. Purpose To evaluate the scope and nature of dysfunction in the thoracic region in patients with WAD. Methods A systematic review and data synthesis was conducted according to a pre-defined, registered (PROSPERO, CRD42015026983) and published protocol. All forms of observational study were included. A sensitive topic-based search strategy was designed from inception to 1/06/16. Databases, grey literature and registers were searched using a study population terms and key words derived from scoping search. Two reviewers independently searched information sources, assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. A third reviewer checked for consistency and clarity. Extracted data included summary data: sample size and characteristics, outcomes, and timescales to reflect disorder state. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Data were tabulated to allow enabling a semi-qualitative comparison and grouped by outcome across studies. Strength of the overall body of evidence was assessed using a modified GRADE. Results Thirty eight studies (n>50,000) which were conducted across a range of countries were included. Few authors responded to requests for further data (5 of 9 contacted). Results were reported in the context of overall quality and were presented for measures of pain or dysfunction and presented, where possible, according to WAD severity and time point post injury. Key findings include: 1) high prevalence of thoracic pain (>60%); higher for those with more severe presentations and in the acute stage, 2) low prevalence of chest pain

Impact of dietary patterns, individual and workplace characteristics on blood pressure status among civil servants in Bida and Wushishi communities of Niger State, Nigeria

The global burden estimate of hypertension is alarming and results in several million deaths annually. A high incidence of sudden deaths from cardiovascular diseases in the civil workforce in Nigeria is often reported. However, the associations between Dietary Patterns (DPs), individual, and workplace characteristics of hypertension among this workforce have not been fully explored. This study aimed to identify DP in the Bida and Wushishi Communities of Niger State and establish its relationship with hypertension along with other individual and workplace characteristics. Factor analysis was used to establish DP, Chi-square test to identify their relationships with hypertension, and logistic regression to determine the predictor risk factors. The prevalence of hypertension was 43.7%; mean weight, height, and body fat were: 72.8±15 kg, 166±8.9 mm and 30.4%, respectively. Three DPs: “Efficient Diet,” “Local diet,” and “Energy Boost Diet” were identified. The factor loading scores for these factors were divided into quintiles Q1–Q5; none of them had a significant effect on hypertension status. Conversely, increase in age, the Ministry, Department, and Agency (MDA) of employment, frequency of eating in restaurants, and obesity were identified as significant risk factors. After adjusting for confounders (age, body mass index, MDA, and eating habits), a high score (Q5) in “efficient diet pattern” was significantly related to a lower likelihood of hypertension than a low score (Q1). The prevalence of hypertension among the participants was relatively very high. An increase in age and working in educational sector were risk factors associated with hypertension. Therefore, it is recommended that civil servants engage in frequent exercise and undergo regular medical checkups, especially as they get older. These findings highlight the need for large-scale assessment of the impact of variables considered in this study on hypertension, among the civil workforce across Niger state and Nigeria

Dementia and dependence: Do modifiable risk factors delay disability?

Objective:To identify modifying factors that preserve functional independence among individuals at high dementia risk.Methods:Health and Retirement Study participants aged 65 years or older without baseline activities of daily living (ADL) limitations (n = 4,922) were interviewed biennially for up to 12 years. Dementia probability, estimated from direct and proxy cognitive assessments, was categorized as low (i.e., normal cognitive function), mild, moderate, or high risk (i.e., very impaired) and used to predict incident ADL limitations (censoring after limitation onset). We assessed multiplicative and additive interactions of dementia category with modifiers (previously self-reported physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, depression, and income) in predicting incident limitations.Results:Smoking, not drinking, and income predicted incident ADL limitations and had larger absolute effects on ADL onset among individuals with high dementia probability than among cognitively normal individuals. Smoking increased the 2-year risk of ADL limitations onset from 9.9% to 14.9% among the lowest dementia probability category and from 32.6% to 42.7% among the highest dementia probability category. Not drinking increased the 2-year risk of ADL limitations onset by 2.1 percentage points among the lowest dementia probability category and 13.2 percentage points among the highest dementia probability category. Low income increased the 2-year risk of ADL limitations onset by 0.4% among the lowest dementia probability category and 12.9% among the highest dementia probability category.Conclusions:Smoking, not drinking, and low income predict incident dependence even in the context of cognitive impairment. Regardless of cognitive status, reducing these risk factors may improve functional outcomes and delay institutionalization.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000336495300016&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Clinical NeurologySCI(E)[email protected]

Stroke incidence in older US Hispanics: is foreign birth protective?

Background and Purpose —Although Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, relatively little is known about stroke risk in US Hispanics. We compare stroke incidence and socioeconomic predictors in US- and foreign-born Hispanics with patterns among non-Hispanic whites. Methods —Health and Retirement Study participants aged 50+ years free of stroke in 1998 (mean baseline age, 66.3 years) were followed through 2008 for self- or proxy-reported first stroke (n=15 784; 1388 events). We used discrete-time survival analysis to compare stroke incidence among US-born (including those who immigrated before age 7 years) and foreign-born Hispanics with incidence in non-Hispanic whites. We also examined childhood and adult socioeconomic characteristics as predictors of stroke among Hispanics, comparing effect estimates with those for non-Hispanic whites. Results —In age- and sex-adjusted models, US-born Hispanics had higher odds of stroke onset than non-Hispanic whites (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.08–1.90), but these differences were attenuated and nonsignificant in models that controlled for childhood and adulthood socioeconomic factors (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.80–1.42). In contrast, in models adjusted for all demographic and socioeconomic factors, foreign-born Hispanics had significantly lower stroke risk than non-Hispanic whites (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.41–0.81). The impact of socioeconomic predictors on stroke did not differ between Hispanics and whites. Conclusions —In this longitudinal national cohort, foreign-born Hispanics had lower incidence of stroke incidence than non-Hispanic whites and US-born Hispanics. Findings suggest that foreign-born Hispanics may have a risk factor profile that protects them from stroke as compared with other Americans