Evolution of semi-quantitative whole joint assessment of knee OA: MOAKS (MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score).

Objective: In an effort to evolve semi-quantitative scoring methods based upon limitations identified in existing tools, integrating expert readers' experience with all available scoring tools and the published data comparing the different scoring systems, we iteratively developed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS). The purpose of this report is to describe the instrument and its reliability.

Methods: The MOAKS instrument refines the scoring of bone marrow lesions (BMLs) (providing regional delineation and scoring across regions), cartilage (sub-regional assessment), and refines the elements of meniscal morphology (adding meniscal hypertrophy, partial maceration and progressive partial maceration) scoring.

Renal function and nonvertebral fracture risk in multiethnic women: the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

Unlabelled: To examine the association between renal function and fracture in multiethnic women, we studied postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative. Postmenopausal White women with mild renal dysfunction were at increased risk of nonvertebral fracture; this association was at least partially explained by effects of renal dysfunction on chronic inflammation. Reduced renal function appeared to increase fracture risk among Black women, but there was little evidence to support this association among other racial/ethnic groups.

Parent satisfaction with the electronic medical record in an academic pediatric rheumatology practice.

Background: Patient satisfaction has not been widely studied with respect to implementation of the electronic medical record (EMR). There are few reports of the impact of the EMR in pediatrics.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of implementation of an electronic medical record system on families in an academic pediatric rheumatology practice.

Silencing of CDK5 as potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease.

Neurodegeneration is one of the greatest public health challenges for the 21st century. Among neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent and best characterized. Nevertheless, despite the large investment in AD research, currently there is no effective therapeutic option.

RNAi medicine for the brain: progresses and challenges.

RNAi interference (RNAi) is a powerful gene silencing technology that has immense potential for treating a vast array of human ailments, for which suppressing disease-associated genes may provide clinical benefit. Here, we review the development of RNAi as a therapeutic modality for neurodegenerative diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS). We overview promising preclinical data for the application of RNAi in the CNS and discuss key challenges (e.

High blood pressure accelerates gait slowing in well-functioning older adults over 18-years of follow-up.

Objectives: To examine whether the association between hypertension and decline in gait speed is significant in well-functioning older adults and whether other health-related factors, such as brain, kidney, and heart function, can explain it.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Cardiovascular Health Study.

The association of cataract with leukocyte telomere length in older adults: defining a new marker of aging.

Lens transparency, or the magnitude of cataract severity, is a potential in vivo marker of aging distinguishable from diagnosed cataract. To explore lens transparency as a marker of aging, we determined its association with leukocyte telomere length (LTL) measured with quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cataract severity was directly measured in 259 participants, and prevalent cataract and incident cataract surgery were ascertained in 2,750 participants of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.

Adipokines and the risk of fracture in older adults.

Adiponectin and leptin are adipokines that influence bone metabolism in vitro and in animal models. However, less is known about the longitudinal association of leptin and adiponectin with fracture. We tested the hypothesis that low leptin and high adiponectin levels are each individually associated with fracture risk in a prospective cohort study in Memphis and Pittsburgh among 3075 women and men aged 70 to 79 years from the Health Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study.

Control of hepatic nuclear superoxide production by glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and NADPH oxidase-4.

Redox-regulated signal transduction is coordinated by spatially controlled production of reactive oxygen species within subcellular compartments. The nucleus has long been known to produce superoxide (O(2)(·-)); however, the mechanisms that control this function remain largely unknown. We have characterized molecular features of a nuclear superoxide-producing system in the mouse liver.

The association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with indicators of bone quality in men of Caucasian and African ancestry.

Unlabelled: We examined the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] with indices of bone quality in older men. Positive associations for 25(OH)D and bone mineral density, content, cortical thickness, and axial and polar strength strain indices were observed among Caucasians; however, among men of African descent findings were either null or negative.

Introduction: There are limited data on serum 25(OH)D and bone measures in men of African ancestry.

Silencing of CDK5 reduces neurofibrillary tangles in transgenic alzheimer's mice.

Alzheimer's disease is a major cause of dementia for which treatments remain unsatisfactory. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is a relevant kinase that has been hypothesized to contribute to the tau pathology. Several classes of chemical inhibitors for CDK5 have been developed, but they generally lack the specificity to distinguish among various ATP-dependent kinases.

Arterial stiffness and gait speed in older adults with and without peripheral arterial disease.

Background: Central arterial stiffness is increasingly recognized as an important predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality in older adults; however, few studies have evaluated the association of arterial stiffness with mobility decline, a common consequence of vascular disease.

Methods: We analyzed the association of pulse wave velocity (PWV), a measure of aortic stiffness, with longitudinal gait speed over 7 years in 2,172 participants in the Health, Aging and Body Composition (ABC) Study (mean age ± s.d.

Post hoc Parkinson's disease: identifying an uncommon disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Background: Although ongoing cohort studies offer a unique opportunity to apply existing information collected prospectively to further the scientific understanding of Parkinson's disease (PD), they typically have limited information for clinical diagnosis.

Methods: We used combinations of self-report, International Classification of Diseases - 9th edition codes and antiparkinsonian medications to identify PD in the Cardiovascular Health Study. To determine whether the expected inverse association between smoking and PD is evident using our outcome definitions, we assessed baseline smoking characteristics for various definitions of PD.

Reliability and validity of the delta finger-to-palm (FTP), a new measure of finger range of motion in systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: To determine the reliability and validity of a new measure of finger motion in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), the 'delta finger-topalm' (delta FTP) and compare its psychometric properties to the traditional measure of finger motion, the finger-topalm (FTP).

Methods: Phase 1: The reliability of the delta FTP and FTP were examined in 39 patients with SSc. Phase 2: Criterion and convergent construct validity of both measures were examined in 17 patients with SSc by comparing them to other clinical measures: Total Active Range of Motion (TAROM), Hand Mobility in Scleroderma (HAMIS), the Duruoz Hand Index (DHI), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS).

The effect of medication use on urinary incontinence in community-dwelling elderly women.

Objectives: To evaluate whether use of certain medications with potential urological effects is associated with development of incident urinary incontinence in community-resident older women.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Pittsburgh, PA, and Memphis, TN.

The association of osteoarthritis risk factors with localized, regional and diffuse knee pain.

Objective: To identify determinants of different patterns of knee pain with a focus on risk factors for knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Design: The Knee Pain Map is an interviewer-administered assessment that asks subjects to characterize their knee pain as localized, regional, or diffuse. A total of 2677 participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative were studied.

Bone strength measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography and the risk of nonvertebral fractures: the osteoporotic fractures in men (MrOS) study.

Many fractures occur in individuals without osteoporosis defined by areal bone mineral density (aBMD). Inclusion of other aspects of skeletal strength may be useful in identifying at-risk subjects. We used surrogate measures of bone strength at the radius and tibia measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) to evaluate their relationships with nonvertebral fracture risk.

Executive function, memory, and gait speed decline in well-functioning older adults.

Background: In community-dwelling older adults, global cognitive function predicts longitudinal gait speed decline. Few prospective studies have evaluated whether specific executive cognitive deficits in aging may account for gait slowing over time.

Methods: Multiple cognitive tasks were administered at baseline in 909 participants in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study Cognitive Vitality Substudy (mean age 75.

Concurrent change in dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and functional performance in the oldest old: results from the Cardiovascular Health Study All Stars study.

Introduction: The correlation between dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) decline and age led to the hypothesis that DHEAS might be a marker of primary aging, though conflicting data from observational studies of mortality do not support this. We evaluated concurrent DHEAS and functional decline in a very old cohort to test if DHEAS change tracks with functional change during aging.

Methods: DHEAS and functional performance (gait speed, grip strength, Modified Mini-Mental State Examination [3MSE] score, and digit symbol substitution test [DSST] score) were measured in 1996-1997 and 2005-2006 in 989 participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study All Stars study (mean age 85.

Long-term retention of older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study: implications for studies of the oldest old.

Objectives: To describe retention according to age and visit type (clinic, home, telephone) and to determine characteristics associated with visit types for a longitudinal epidemiological study in older adults.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Four U.

RNAi therapeutics for CNS disorders.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process of sequence-specific gene silencing and serves as a powerful molecular tool to manipulate gene expression in vitro and in vivo. RNAi technologies have been applied to study gene function and validate drug targets. Researchers are investigating RNAi-based compounds as novel therapeutics to treat a variety of human diseases that are currently lacking sufficient treatment.

Correlates of trabecular and cortical volumetric bone mineral density of the radius and tibia in older men: the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study.

Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) can estimate volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) and distinguish trabecular from cortical bone. Few comprehensive studies have examined correlates of vBMD in older men. This study evaluated the impact of demographic, anthropometric, lifestyle, and medical factors on vBMD in 1172 men aged 69 to 97 years and enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS).

Cardiovascular disease is associated with greater incident dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate decline in the oldest old: the cardiovascular health study all stars study.

Objectives: To describe cross-sectional and longitudinal associations with dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and change in DHEAS with age.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Longitudinal study of muscle strength, quality, and adipose tissue infiltration.

Background: Sarcopenia is thought to be accompanied by increased muscle fat infiltration. However, no longitudinal studies have examined concomitant changes in muscle mass, strength, or fat infiltration in older adults.

Objective: We present longitudinal data on age-related changes in leg composition, strength, and muscle quality (MQ) in ambulatory, well-functioning men and women.

The key to life nutrition program: results from a community-based dietary sodium reduction trial.

Objective: Evaluation of a dietary Na reduction trial in a community setting.

Design: Community-based randomized trial. Ten-week nutrition intervention activities focused on lifestyle modification to decrease dietary Na intake, under the supervision of a registered dietitian.