The relationship between plasma carotenoids and depressive symptoms in older persons.

Objective: We examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship between plasma carotenoids and depressive symptoms over a 6-year follow-up in older persons.

Methods: This research is part of the InCHIANTI Study, a prospective population-based study of older persons in Tuscany, Italy. The sample for this analysis included 958 women and men aged 65 years and older.

Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.

Blood pressure is a heritable trait influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (≥140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or  ≥90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events.

Genome-wide association study identifies six new loci influencing pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure.

Numerous genetic loci have been associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in Europeans. We now report genome-wide association studies of pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). In discovery (N = 74,064) and follow-up studies (N = 48,607), we identified at genome-wide significance (P = 2.

Bisphenol A exposure is associated with in vivo estrogenic gene expression in adults.

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic estrogen commonly used in polycarbonate plastic and resin-lined food and beverage containers. Exposure of animal and cell models to doses of BPA below the recommended tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 50 μg/kg/day have been shown to alter specific estrogen-responsive gene expression, but this has not previously been shown in humans.

Objective: We investigated associations between BPA exposure and in vivo estrogenic gene expression in humans.

Endogenous secretory receptor for advanced glycation end products is associated with low serum interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and elevated IL-6 in older community-dwelling adults.

Background: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are thought to cause inflammation through interaction with the receptor for AGEs (RAGE), therefore contributing to adverse aging-related processes. The relationship between AGEs, RAGE, and inflammation has not been well characterized.

Methods: We examined the relationship of plasma endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE); carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), a circulating AGE; and inflammatory mediators in 1,298 adults, 20-97 years, who participated in the InCHIANTI study in Tuscany, Italy.

SHBG, sex hormones, and inflammatory markers in older women.

Context: In premenopausal and older women, high testosterone and estradiol (E2) and low SHBG levels are associated with insulin resistance and diabetes, conditions characterized by low-grade inflammation.

Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between SHBG, total testosterone, total E2, and inflammatory markers in older women.

Design And Patients: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of 433 women at least 65 yr old from the InCHIANTI Study, Italy, who were not on hormone replacement therapy or recently hospitalized and who had complete data on SHBG, testosterone, E2, C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6r), and TNF-α.

LRP5 gene polymorphism and cortical bone.

Background And Aims: There is evidence that distinct genetic polymorphisms of LRP5 are associated with low Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and the risk of fracture. However, relationships between LRP5 polymorphisms and micro- and macro architectural bone characteristics assessed by pQCT have not been studied. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of Ala1330Val and Val667Met polymorphisms in LRP5 gene with volumetric BMD (vBMD) and macro-architectural bone parameters in a population-based sample of men and women.

Mediterranean diet and mobility decline in older persons.

We examined whether adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet has positive effects on mobility assessed over a 9-year follow-up in a representative sample of older adults. This research is part of the InCHIANTI Study, a prospective population-based study of older persons in Tuscany, Italy. The sample for this analysis included 935 women and men aged 65 years and older.

Plasma soluble gp130 levels are increased in older subjects with metabolic syndrome. The role of insulin resistance.

Objective: Increased interleukin-6 plasma levels have been reported in metabolic syndrome (MS); nevertheless, it is unclear whether interleukin-6 activity is exerted through direct signalling only or also through the "trans-signalling". This issue is important to clarify since signalling and "trans-signalling" affect different tissues. We investigated the relationship between MS and the interleukin-6 system in an older population.

Daily bisphenol A excretion and associations with sex hormone concentrations: results from the InCHIANTI adult population study.

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high production volume chemical widely used in packaging for food and beverages. Numerous studies have demonstrated that BPA can alter endocrine function in animals, yet human studies remain limited.

Objective: We estimated daily excretion of BPA among adults and examined hypothesized associations with serum estrogen and testosterone concentrations.

Frailty and the homeostatic network.

Trajectories of health and functioning with age show extreme variability among different individuals. In frail, older persons the decline in functional reserve is accelerated and compensatory mechanisms start failing, with high risk of homeostasis disruption and consequent negative health outcomes. Frailty is currently conceptualized as an age-related alteration in physiology and pathology that results into a typical constellation of signs and symptoms.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and depressive symptoms in older women and men.

Context: Hypovitaminosis D and depressive symptoms are common conditions in older adults.

Objective: We examined the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and depressive symptoms over a 6-yr follow-up in a sample of older adults.

Design And Setting: This research is part of a population-based cohort study (InCHIANTI Study) in Tuscany, Italy.

Trail Making Test predicts physical impairment and mortality in older persons.

Objectives: To examine whether performance in the Trail Making Test (TMT) predicts mobility impairment and mortality in older persons.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Community-dwelling older persons enrolled in the Invecchiare in Chianti (InCHIANTI) Study.

Personal mastery and lower body mobility in community-dwelling older persons: the Invecchiare in Chianti study.

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that, in older persons, sense of personal mastery, defined as the extent to which one regards one's life chance as being under one's own control, predicts change in lower extremity performance during a 6-year follow-up.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Community based.

The paraoxonase (PON1) Q192R polymorphism is not associated with poor health status or depression in the ELSA or INCHIANTI studies.

Background: The human paraoxonase (PON1) protein detoxifies certain organophosphates, and the PON1 Q192R polymorphism (rs662) affects PON1 activity. Groups with higher dose exposure to organophosphate sheep dips or first Gulf War nerve toxins reported poorer health if they had 192R, and these associations have been used to exemplify Mendelian randomization analysis. However, a reported association of 192R with depression in a population-based study of older women recently cast doubt on the specificity of the higher dose findings.

Common lipid-altering gene variants are associated with therapeutic intervention thresholds of lipid levels in older people.

Aims: There are a large number of common genetic variants that have been robustly associated with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, or triglyceride concentrations. The majority of these have been identified or confirmed in recent genome-wide association studies, but few studies have assessed the combined effect of known lipid variants. We hypothesized that these variants would influence both the need for interventions and myocardial infarction (MI) outcomes.

Genome-wide association study of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, and homocysteine blood concentrations.

The B vitamins are components of one-carbon metabolism (OCM) that contribute to DNA synthesis and methylation. Homocysteine, a by-product of OCM, has been associated with coronary heart disease, stroke and neurological disease. To investigate genetic factors that affect circulating vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine, a genome-wide association analysis was conducted in the InCHIANTI (N = 1175), SardiNIA (N = 1115), and BLSA (N = 640) studies.

Common variation in the beta-carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase 1 gene affects circulating levels of carotenoids: a genome-wide association study.

Low plasma levels of carotenoids and tocopherols are associated with increased risk of chronic disease and disability. Because dietary intake of these lipid-soluble antioxidant vitamins is only poorly correlated with plasma levels, we hypothesized that circulating carotenoids (vitamin A-related compounds) and tocopherols (vitamin E-related compounds) are affected by common genetic variation. By conducting a genome-wide association study in a sample of Italians (n = 1190), we identified novel common variants associated with circulating carotenoid levels and known lipid variants associated with alpha-tocopherol levels.

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and incident depressive symptoms over 6 years in older persons: the InCHIANTI study.

Background: We test the hypothesis that in older persons higher plasma levels of inflammatory markers predict the development of depressive symptoms during a 6-year follow-up.

Method: This study is part of the InCHIANTI (Invecchiare in Chianti, aging in the Chianti area) study, a prospective population-based study of older persons. The sample consisted of 991 participants, ages 65 years and older.

Predictivity of survival according to different equations for estimating renal function in community-dwelling elderly subjects.

Background: Detection of subjects with early chronic kidney disease (CKD) is important because some will progress up to stage 5 CKD, and most are at high risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. While validity and precision of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations in tracking true GFR have been repeatedly investigated, their prognostic performance for mortality has not been hitherto compared. This is especially relevant in an elderly population in whom the risk of death is far more common than progression.

Elevated C-reactive protein levels and metabolic syndrome in the elderly: The role of central obesity data from the InChianti study.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) and "low grade" systemic inflammation (LGSI) are very common findings in the older population. Although MS and LGSI have been associated in adults, it is not known what is the real contribution of MS, and its single components, to LGSI in older persons, due to the potential confounding effect of comorbidity and aging. We investigated the relationship between increased C-reactive protein (CRP) plasma levels, a marker of LGSI, and MS in 1044 older (> or =65 years) community dwelling Italian individuals enrolled the InChianti study.

Low total plasma carotenoids are independent predictors of mortality among older persons: the InCHIANTI study.

Background: Plasma carotenoids are considered a valid biological marker for fruit and vegetable dietary intake. Recent studies show that low carotenoid levels are associated with a high risk of inflammation, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Aim Of The Study: To determine whether low plasma carotenoids are associated with increased mortality among older adults.

Carotenoids as protection against disability in older persons.

The purpose was to examine the relationship of total plasma carotenoids, an indicator of fruit and vegetable intake, with walking speed and severe walking disability in older adults. Nine hundred twenty-eight men and women aged 65 to 102 years from the Invecchiare in Chianti (Aging in the Chianti Area [InCHIANTI]) study, a population-based cohort in Tuscany, Italy, were studied. Plasma carotenoids were measured at enrollment (1998-2000), and walking speed over 4 meters and 400 meters distance were assessed at enrollment and 6 years later (2004-2006).

A genome-wide association study identifies protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs).

There is considerable evidence that human genetic variation influences gene expression. Genome-wide studies have revealed that mRNA levels are associated with genetic variation in or close to the gene coding for those mRNA transcripts - cis effects, and elsewhere in the genome - trans effects. The role of genetic variation in determining protein levels has not been systematically assessed.

Erythropoietin and polyneuropathy in older persons.

Introduction: Recent studies demonstrated that erythropoietin (EPO) have a number of non-erythropoietic effects including neuroprotection and vascular protection.

Materials: Using data from a representative sample of older persons, we tested the hypothesis that EPO levels are correlated with peripheral nerve parameters (NVC and CMAP) assessed by surface ENG and with clinically diagnosed polyneuropathy. We selected 972 participants (aged 60-98 years) with complete data for the analyses.