Thyroid hormones and depression: the Health in Men study.

Context: Current practice guidelines suggest that thyroid function tests should be an integral part of the assessment of adults presenting with a depressive episode, although there is a paucity of data available to support such a recommendation.

Objective: To determine if biochemical markers of thyroid dysfunction are associated with prevalent and incident clinically significant depressive symptoms.

Design: Cross-sectional and cohort studies.

Complaints of difficulty to fall asleep increase the risk of depression in later life: the health in men study.

Objectives: To determine if complaints of poor sleep are associated with incident depression in older men.

Methods: Cohort study with an average follow up period of 6 years (range 3 months to 8.5 years).

Dyslipidemic diabetic serum increases lipid accumulation and expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase in human macrophages.

Type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, mechanisms by which hypertriglyceridemia influences atherogenesis remain unclear. We examined effects of dyslipidemic diabetic serum on macrophage lipid accumulation as a model of foam cell formation.

Falls, injuries from falls, health related quality of life and mortality in older adults with vision and hearing impairment--is there a gender difference?

Background: Vision and hearing decline with age. Loss of these senses is associated with increased risk of falls, injuries from falls, mortality and decreased health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Our objective was to determine if there are gender differences in the associations between visual and hearing impairment and these outcomes.

Body adiposity in later life and the incidence of dementia: the health in men study.

Objective: To determine if adiposity in later life increases dementia hazard.

Methods: Cohort study of 12,047 men aged 65-84 years living in Perth, Australia. Adiposity exposures were baseline body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).

Quality use of medicines and health outcomes among a cohort of community dwelling older men: an observational study.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of potentially suboptimal medication use and association with adverse outcomes.

Methods: A prospective, observational cohort study of 4260 community-dwelling older men from Perth, Western Australia (mean age of 77 ± 3.6 years) was conducted.

Associations of IGF1 and IGFBPs 1 and 3 with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in older men: the Health In Men Study.

Objective: Circulating IGF1 declines with age while ill-health increases. Controversy remains whether differences in the levels of IGF1 and its binding proteins 1 and 3 (IGFBP1 and IGFBP3) determine health outcomes during ageing. We examined associations of IGF1, IGFBP1 and IGFBP3 with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in older men.

Osteocalcin: an endocrine link between bone and glucose metabolism.

Impaired glucose metabolism is common and contributes to the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Deletion of the gene for the osteoblast-derived protein, osteocalcin, leads to insulin resistance in mice, while the addition of osteocalcin increases insulin secretion from β-cells and adiponectin expression in adipocytes. Osteocalcin deficiency in γ-carboxyl groups, undercarboxylated osteocalcin, was found to improve insulin secretion and sensitivity in experiments.

Modulation of macrophage fatty acid content and composition by exposure to dyslipidemic serum in vitro.

Macrophages in arterial walls accumulate lipids leading to the development of atherosclerotic plaques. However, mechanisms underlying macrophage lipid accumulation and foam cell formation are often studied without accounting for risk factors such as dyslipidemia. We investigated the effect of varying concentrations of triglyceride (TG) within physiological range on macrophage fatty acid (FA) accumulation and expression of cholesterol efflux proteins.

Elevated LH predicts ischaemic heart disease events in older men: the Health in Men Study.

Context: Hypogonadism in men is associated with insulin resistance, elevations in pro-inflammatory cytokines and fibrinogen, and an atherogenic lipid profile. However, it is uncertain whether the age-related decline in testosterone is associated with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) events.

Objective: To determine whether testosterone and its associated hormones, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and LH, predict IHD events in older men.

Prevalence of sexual activity and associated factors in men aged 75 to 95 years: a cohort study.

Background: Knowledge about sexuality in elderly persons is limited, and normative data are lacking.

Objective: To determine the proportion of older men who are sexually active and to explore factors predictive of sexual activity.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Reduced serum total osteocalcin is associated with metabolic syndrome in older men via waist circumference, hyperglycemia, and triglyceride levels.

Objective: Bone-derived undercarboxylated osteocalcin regulates insulin secretion and sensitivity in mice, and reduced serum total osteocalcin (TOC) is associated with diabetes in humans. However, the relationship between TOC levels and other cardiovascular risk factors is uncertain. We sought to determine whether serum TOC is associated with metabolic syndrome and its components in older men.

Low free testosterone predicts frailty in older men: the health in men study.

Context: The prevalence of frailty increases, whereas testosterone decreases, as men age. Low testosterone may be a risk factor for development of this syndrome.

Objective: Our objective was to determine whether testosterone levels are associated with frailty.

Androgens and cardiovascular disease.

Purpose Of Review: There is increasing interest in age-related changes in sex hormone levels as a potentially treatable cause of ill-health in men. Relationships between androgens and cardiovascular disease will be discussed, with particular attention to more recently published research.

Recent Findings: In middle-aged and older men, lower testosterone levels are associated with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, interrelated conditions that predispose to cardiovascular disease.

Higher luteinizing hormone is associated with poor memory recall: the health in men study.

Elevated levels of gonadotropins have been observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease and have been associated with poorer cognition in women, but not men. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between gonadotropins and cognition in a cohort of 585 healthy, community-dwelling men aged 70-87 years. Cognitive function was assessed with the California Verbal Learning Test Second Edition (CVLT-II) and the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE).

Associations of total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, calculated free testosterone, and luteinizing hormone with prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm in older men.

Context: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is associated with mortality in older adults, and increasing aortic diameter predicts incident cardiovascular events. Although AAA occurs predominantly in men, its association with male sex hormones is unclear.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine whether male sex hormones are independently associated with AAA or increased abdominal aortic diameter.

IGF1 and its binding proteins 3 and 1 are differentially associated with metabolic syndrome in older men.

Objective: Circulating IGF1 declines with age, and reduced circulating IGF1 is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in some but not all studies. The relationship between IGF-binding proteins 3 and 1 (IGFBP3 and IGFBP1) with risk of cardiovascular disease remains unclear. We sought to examine associations between IGF1, IGFBP3 and IGFBP1 with metabolic syndrome in older men.

Lower serum testosterone is independently associated with insulin resistance in non-diabetic older men: the Health In Men Study.

Objective: Insulin resistance is associated with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, representing a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This relationship may be modulated to some extent by age-related changes in sex hormone status. We examined whether lower testosterone or sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels in older men are associated with insulin resistance independently of measures of central obesity.

Testosterone and growth hormone in older men: for better or for worse?

Evaluation of: Sattler FR, Castaneda-Sceppa C, Binder EF et al. Testosterone and growth hormone improve body composition and muscle performance in older men. J.

Lower testosterone levels predict incident stroke and transient ischemic attack in older men.

Context: Lower circulating testosterone concentrations are associated with metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, carotid intima-media thickness, and aortic and lower limb arterial disease in men. However, it is unclear whether lower testosterone levels predict major cardiovascular events.

Objective: We examined whether lower serum testosterone was an independently significant risk factor for symptomatic cerebrovascular events in older men.

Controversies in type 2 diabetes - An update.

Background: Controversy has emerged concerning the risks associated with glitazone therapy in type 2 diabetes, specifically bone fracture and myocardial infarction. Results from the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) study have stimulated debate about appropriate glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) targets.

Objective: This article examines the context for glitazone therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes, the risks associated with pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, and arguments for targeting HbA1c at the threshold of 7%.

Testosterone and ill-health in aging men.

As men age, testosterone levels decline, and decreased testosterone levels are associated with increased risks of osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus and mortality. Nevertheless, it is still uncertain whether reduced testosterone level is a cause of ill-health or a marker of pre-existing disease, as systemic illness lowers testosterone levels. Most circulating testosterone is bound to sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and albumin, whereas a small proportion circulates as free testosterone.

Healthier lifestyle predicts higher circulating testosterone in older men: the Health In Men Study.

Objective: Circulating testosterone declines during male ageing, and low testosterone may predispose to ill health. We sought to determine whether greater participation in healthy behaviours predicted reduced risk of subsequent lower circulating testosterone in older men.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of a population-based follow-up study.