Macular Pigment Optical Density in an Ageing Irish Population: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing.

Purpose: The 3 carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin, which account for the ‘yellow spot’ at the macula and which are referred to as macular pigment (MP), are believed to play a role in visual function and protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD) via their optical and antioxidant properties. This study was undertaken to compare MP optical density (MPOD) in a population aged ≧50 years with MPOD values from a normative database of subjects aged 18–60 years. Methods: Seventy-nine subjects were recruited into this pilot study (The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing-TILDA). MPOD was measured using heterochromatic flicker photometry. Retinal fundus photographs, lifestyle data and general health data, were also obtained. Results: The mean ± SD age of the 79 subjects recruited into this study was 65 ± 11 years. There was a moderate, but statistically significant, age-related decline in MPOD at 0.5° in the TILDA data (r = –0.251, p = 0.045), which remained upon merging with a normative database of an additional 462 subjects aged between 18 and 67 years (r = –0.179, p = 0.000). Conclusions: We report an inverse association between MPOD and increasing age. Longitudinal data in a larger cohort of participants are required to satisfactorily investigate the relationship between the optical density of this pigment and age, and with risk for development and/or progression of AMD. This pilot study represents a first step in this endeavour

Gestational age and birth weight and the risk of childhood type 1 diabetes : a population-based cohort and sibling design study

Objectives: We investigated the effects of gestational age, birthweight, small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA) on childhood type 1 diabetes. Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study of all singleton live births in Sweden between 1973-2009 and a sibling-control study. Perinatal data were extracted from the Swedish Medical Birth Register. Children with type 1 diabetes diagnosis were identified from the Swedish National Patient Register. Log-linear Poisson regression and conditional logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: The study cohort consisted of 3,624,675 singleton live births (42,411,054 person-years). There were 13,944 type 1 diabetes cases during the study period. The sibling-control study consisted of 11,403 children with type 1 diabetes and 17,920 siblings. Gestational age between 33-36 weeks (RR=1.18; [95%CIs: 1.09, 1.28) and 37-38 weeks (RR=1.12; [95%CIs: 1.07, 1.17]) was associated with type 1 diabetes in the cohort study and remained significant in the sibling-control study. SGA (RR=0.83; [95%CIs: 0.75, 0.93]) and LGA (RR=1.14; [95%CIs: 1.04, 1.24]) were associated with type 1 diabetes in the cohort study. The SGA association remained unchanged in the sibling study while the LGA association disappeared. Very low birthweight was associated with a reduced risk of type 1 diabetes. Conclusions: The findings suggest a small association between gestational age and type 1 diabetes that is not likely due to familial confounding factors. Gestational age and type 1 diabetes may be related to insulin resistance due to early life growth restriction or altered gut microbiota in preterm babies.Science Foundation Ireland, Grant Number 12/RC/2272Stockholm County Council (ALF)Manuscrip

Life course transitions and changes in alcohol consumption among older Irish adults: results from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether trajectories of older adults' alcohol consumption are influenced by the following life course transitions, relationship status, employment status, and self-rated health. METHOD: Volume and frequency of drinking were harmonized across first three waves of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA; N = 4,295). Multilevel regression models were used to model frequency, average weekly consumption, and heavy episodic drinking. RESULTS: Men and women drank more frequently over time, with frequency decreasing with age for women. Average weekly consumption decreased over time and with increasing age. Transitions in self-rated health, particularly those reflecting poorer health, were associated with lower frequency and weekly consumption. Heavy episodic drinking decreased with age. Men who were retired across all waves were more likely to engage in heavy episodic drinking at baseline. DISCUSSION: Despite the decline in average weekly consumption and heavy episodic drinking, the observed quantities consumed and the increase in frequency of consumption suggest that older Irish adults remain vulnerable to alcohol-related harms

Advanced Maternal Age and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome: Evidence from a Large Contemporary Cohort

BACKGROUND: Recent decades have witnessed an increase in mean maternal age at childbirth in most high-resourced countries. Advanced maternal age has been associated with several adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Although there are many studies on this topic, data from large contemporary population-based cohorts that controls for demographic variables known to influence perinatal outcomes is limited. METHODS: We performed a population-based cohort study using data on all singleton births in 2004–2008 from the North Western Perinatal Survey based at The University of Manchester, UK. We compared pregnancy outcomes in women aged 30–34, 35–39 and ≥40 years with women aged 20–29 years using log-linear binomial regression. Models were adjusted for parity, ethnicity, social deprivation score and body mass index. RESULTS: The final study cohort consisted of 215,344 births; 122,307 mothers (54.19%) were aged 20–29 years, 62,371(27.63%) were aged 30–34 years, 33,966(15.05%) were aged 35–39 years and 7,066(3.13%) were aged ≥40 years. Women aged 40+ at delivery were at increased risk of stillbirth (RR = 1.83, [95% CI 1.37–2.43]), pre-term (RR = 1.25, [95% CI: 1.14–1.36]) and very pre-term birth (RR = 1.29, [95% CI:1.08–1.55]), Macrosomia (RR = 1.31, [95% CI: 1.12–1.54]), extremely large for gestational age (RR = 1.40, [95% CI: 1.25–1.58]) and Caesarean delivery (RR = 1.83, [95% CI: 1.77–1.90]). CONCLUSIONS: Advanced maternal age is associated with a range of adverse pregnancy outcomes. These risks are independent of parity and remain after adjusting for the ameliorating effects of higher socioeconomic status. The data from this large contemporary cohort will be of interest to healthcare providers and women and will facilitate evidence based counselling of older expectant mothers