ASSOCIATION BETWEEN GRIP STRENGTH AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS.

GSA 2019 Annual Scientific MeetingPeer reviewe

Relationship Between Physical Activity and Function With Quality of Life in Community-Living Older Adults

Background: Quality of life (QOL) is a multidimensional concept which is often used as an evaluation of a person‘s health and psychological status. Increasing longevity can be associated with better QOL as long as older adults are independent in daily life. The aim of the study was to examine the associations of QOL with muscle strength and physical function among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: The current cross-sectional study had 225 participants (73.7±5.7yrs, 58.2% female) living in Reykjavik, Iceland. QOL measured using the 36-item short-form survey (SF-36). Covariates were anthropometrics, muscle strength, physical function including timed up and go test (TUG), and 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), physical activity per week (PA). Linear regression analysis was used to examine the association of QOL with physical function. Results: The mean QOL score for the study population was 54.9±6.13. The analysis was adjusted for age and gender, body mass index, height, and PA. We found that QOL was associated with better grip strength (B=1.4, PPeer reviewe

Longitudinal Association Between Education and Disability in Older Adults Living in Iceland

BACKGROUND: Disabilities among older adults are associated with cumulative adversities such as low socioeconomic status (SES), poor nutrition, and lack of access to medical care and education. However, there is little evidence on the long-term association between education and disability status among older adults in Iceland. The aim of the study was to examine the association between mid-life education and prevalence of disability in activities of daily living (ADL) and mobility disability in late-life using 25 years of longitudinal data. METHODS: A large community-based population residing in Reykjavik, Iceland participated in a longitudinal study with an average of 25 years of follow-up (N=5764, mean age 77±6 yrs, 57.7% of women) Mid-life education was categorized into 2 groups (primary and secondary versus college and university). Disability status in late life was defined with ADL and mobility disability with a binary outcome (no difficulty versus any difficulty). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association. RESULTS: After controlling for age and gender, and midlife health risk factors, those who had high education at mid-life were less likely to have ADL disability (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.75, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.64 ~ 0.88, P ≤ 0.001) and mobility disability (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.61 ~ 0.86, P < 0.001) compared with those who had low education in mid-life. CONCLUSION: People with high mid-life education were less likely to have ADL and mobility disability after 25 years later.Peer reviewe

LONGITUDINAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SERUM 25 HYDROXY VITAMIN D AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG ICELANDIC OLDER ADULTS.

GSA 2019 Annual Scientific MeetingPeer reviewe

Abrupt onset of the Little Ice Age triggered by volcanism and sustained by sea-ice/ocean feedbacks

[1] Northern Hemisphere summer temperatures over the past 8000 years have been paced by the slow decrease in summer insolation resulting from the precession of the equinoxes. However, the causes of superposed century-scale cold summer anomalies, of which the Little Ice Age (LIA) is the most extreme, remain debated, largely because the natural forcings are either weak or, in the case of volcanism, short lived. Here we present precisely dated records of ice-cap growth from Arctic Canada and Iceland showing that LIA summer cold and ice growth began abruptly between 1275 and 1300 AD, followed by a substantial intensification 1430– 1455 AD. Intervals of sudden ice growth coincide with two of the most volcanically perturbed half centuries of the past mil-lennium. A transient climate model simulation shows that explosive volcanism produces abrupt summer cooling at these times, and that cold summers can be maintained by sea-ice/ ocean feedbacks long after volcanic aerosols are removed. Our results suggest that the onset of the LIA can be linked to an unusual 50-year-long episode with four large sulfur-rich explosive eruptions, each with global sulfate loading&gt;60 Tg. The persistence of cold summers is best explained by conse-quent sea-ice/ocean feedbacks during a hemispheric summer insolation minimum; large changes in solar irradiance are not required. Citation: Miller, G. H., et al. (2012), Abrupt onset of the Little Ice Age triggered by volcanism and sustained by sea-ice/ocea

Genetic polymorphism of the iron-regulatory protein-1 and -2 genes in age-related macular degeneration

Iron can be involved in the pathogenesis of AMD through the oxidative stress because it may catalyze the Haber–Weiss and Fenton reactions converting hydrogen peroxide to free radicals, which can induce cellular damage. We hypothesized that genetic polymorphism in genes related to iron metabolism may predispose individuals to the development of AMD and therefore we checked for an association between the g.32373708 G>A polymorphism (rs867469) of the IRP1 gene and the g.49520870 G>A (rs17483548) polymorphism of the IRP2 gene and AMD risk as well as the modulation of this association by some environmental and life-style factors. Genotypes were determined in DNA from blood of 269 AMD patients and 116 controls by the allele-specific oligonucleotide-restriction fragment length polymorphism and the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. An association between AMD, dry and wet forms of AMD and the G/G genotype of the g.32373708 G>A-IRP1 polymorphism was found (OR 3.40, 4.15, and 2.75). On the other hand, the G/A genotype reduced the risk of AMD as well as its dry or wet form (OR 0.23, 0.21, 0.26). Moreover, the G allele of the g.49520870 G>A-IRP2 polymorphism increased the risk of the dry form of the disease (OR 1.51) and the A/A genotype and the A allele decreased such risk (OR 0.43 and 0.66). Our data suggest that the g.32373708 G>A-IRP1 and g.49520870 G>A-IRP2 polymorphisms may be associated with increased risk for AMD