Investigating the role of adipose tissue in mobility and aging: design and methods of the Adipose Tissue ancillary to the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA-AT).

Background: Age-related changes in adipose tissue impact chronic medical diseases and mobility disability but mechanism remains poorly understood. The goal of this study is to define methods for phenotyping unique characteristics of adipose tissue from older adults.

Methods: Older adults enrolled in Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging selected for the adipose tissue ancillary (SOMMA-AT; N=210, 52.

Corticosterone predicts double-brooding in female savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis).

Given that double-brooding (rearing two broods within a season) can increase annual fecundity, it is unclear why some females in multi-brooded populations rear only one brood per season. The Quality Hypothesis proposes that double-brooded females are high quality and, thus, have sufficient energetic resources available to bear the costs of rearing two broods per season. Glucocorticoids - endocrine hormones that have a critical role in energy regulation - could reflect female quality, and, therefore, also have the potential to indicate whether a female will rear a second brood.

Associations of neighbourhood food retail with disability and death in older adults: Cardiovascular Health Study.

Background: A healthier diet is associated with lower chronic disease burden, but the impact of neighbourhood food environments on disability and death in older adults is not known.

Methods: In the Cardiovascular Health Study, a cohort study of adults aged 65+, we calculated study years until death (years of life (YOL)), study years without activities of daily living (ADL) difficulty (years of able life; YoAL) and percent of study years without ADL difficulty (compression of disability). Linear regression quantified associations of food establishments within 5 km of baseline home address (as a z-score) with each outcome, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics.

MicroRNA signatures of VO peak in older adult participants of the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging.

Background: Peak oxygen consumption during exercise (VO peak), is a direct measure of cardiorespiratory fitness (CF), a key indicator of physical function and overall health. However, the molecular changes that underpin VO peak variation are not clear. Our objective is to understand the miRNA signatures that relate to VO peak variation, which could provide insights to novel mechanisms that contribute to low VO peak.

Design of SARS-CoV-2 RBD Immunogens to Focus Immune Responses Towards Conserved Coronavirus Epitopes.

SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, with new variants emerging that evade pre-existing immunity and limit the efficacy of existing vaccines. One approach towards developing superior, variant-proof vaccines is to engineer immunogens that preferentially elicit antibodies with broad cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants by targeting conserved epitopes on spike. The inner and outer faces of the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) are two such conserved regions targeted by antibodies that recognize diverse human and animal coronaviruses.