Publications by authors named "Demmer R"

Background: Inflammation plays a key role in the development of heart failure (HF), and diet is a known modifiable factor that modulates systemic inflammation. The dietary inflammatory score (DIS) is a tool to quantify the inflammatory components of diet. We sought to determine whether the DIS is associated with incident HF events.

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Background: Periodontal disease (PD) is a prevalent, preventable and treatable oral infection associated with substantial morbidity globally. There is little information from population-representative cohort studies about the sociodemographic, educational and other early life factors that stratify PD risk.

Methods: We used data from the U.

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  • The study aimed to explore how different dietary patterns are linked to the types of bacteria found below the gumline in participants with varying probing depths.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 651 participants, using dietary assessments and subgingival plaque samples to measure various microbial diversity metrics and taxa ratios.
  • Results showed that higher scores on dietary quality indices (AHEI and APDQS) were associated with lower microbial diversity and certain taxa ratios, indicating that nutritious diets might reduce harmful bacteria in the mouth.
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  • - The survey conducted from September 9-17, 2021, at the University of Minnesota aimed to assess if the COVID-19 vaccine mandate led to an increase in self-reported vaccination rates among students, staff, and faculty.
  • - While vaccine mandates can enhance public health, they must take into account their implementation context and the possible negative consequences on personal choice.
  • - The findings suggest that policymakers should gather data to make informed decisions regarding vaccine mandates while considering factors that might influence their effectiveness and public response.
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  • The study explored the impact of aspirin on specific bacterial groups linked to inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer in the mouth.
  • A total of 50 healthy participants aged 50-75 were given either aspirin or a placebo for six weeks, and their oral bacterial profiles were analyzed before and after the treatment.
  • Results showed different changes in bacterial abundance between the aspirin and placebo groups, indicating that aspirin might influence the oral microbiome, warranting further research with more advanced methods like metagenomic sequencing.
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  • The study looked at how a medicine called Dapagliflozin affects blood pressure and blood flow in patients with heart problems called HFpEF during exercise.
  • They tested 37 patients by having them do exercises while checking their blood pressure and heart health over 24 weeks.
  • Results showed that while Dapagliflozin didn't change resting blood pressure, it did lower blood pressure during peak exercise and improved how blood vessels work when the patients were active.
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  • This study compares two methods of estimating kidney function (eGFRcysC and eGFRsCr) in heart transplant recipients, focusing on how body mass index (BMI), steroid use, and muscle mass affect accuracy.
  • Significant differences between the two eGFRs were noted, especially early after transplantation, with eGFRcysC showing more stability over time compared to eGFRsCr.
  • Using eGFRcysC can impact dosing for the medication valganciclovir, suggesting that 46% of patients would have required dosage adjustments, mostly reductions, highlighting the importance of accurate kidney function assessment.
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Importance: Persistent symptoms and disability following SARS-CoV-2 infection, known as post-COVID-19 condition or "long COVID," are frequently reported and pose a substantial personal and societal burden.

Objective: To determine time to recovery following SARS-CoV-2 infection and identify factors associated with recovery by 90 days.

Design, Setting, And Participants: For this prospective cohort study, standardized ascertainment of SARS-CoV-2 infection was conducted starting in April 1, 2020, across 14 ongoing National Institutes of Health-funded cohorts that have enrolled and followed participants since 1971.

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  • - The study examined sarcopenia (muscle loss) in patients with heart failure (HF), those receiving left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), and heart transplant (HT) candidates, revealing a correlation between sarcopenia index (SI) and muscle mass/function outcomes.
  • - Researchers assessed blood samples for inflammatory markers and microbiota diversity in stool and saliva, finding that SI decreased with worsening HF and showed a rebound after surgical interventions, yet remained lower than baseline levels long-term.
  • - Notably, higher microbial diversity, particularly with the presence of the gut bacteria Roseburia inulinivorans, was linked to increased SI, suggesting a connection between gut health, inflammation, and muscle mass in heart disease
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Background: We investigated the association between dietary nitrate intake and early clinical cardiometabolic risk biomarkers, and explored whether the oral microbiome modifies the association between dietary nitrate intake and cardiometabolic biomarkers.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 668 (mean [SD] age 31 [9] years, 73% women) participants was analyzed. Dietary nitrate intakes and alternative healthy eating index (AHEI) scores were calculated from food frequency questionnaire responses and a validated US food database.

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This study investigates correlates of anti-S1 antibody response following COVID-19 vaccination in a U.S. population-based meta-cohort of adults participating in longstanding NIH-funded cohort studies.

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Aim: We investigated whether periodontal measures are cross-sectionally associated with prediabetes and cardiometabolic biomarkers among non-diabetic younger adults.

Materials And Methods: One thousand seventy-one participants (mean age = 32.2 years [SE = 0.

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Background: With effective antiretroviral therapy, people with HIV (PWH) are living longer and aging; the majority of PWH in the United States are now over the age of 50 and in women have gone through the menopause transition. Menopause potentiates skeletal bone loss at the spine, hip, and radius in PWH. The alveolar bone which surronds the teeth is different than long bones because it is derived from the neural crest.

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Habitual physical activity (PA) impacts the plasma proteome and reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). Using a large-scale proteome-wide approach in Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study participants, we aimed to identify plasma proteins associated with PA and determine which of these may be causally related to lower T2D risk. PA was associated with 92 plasma proteins in discovery (P < 1.

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Background: Venous congestion (VC) is a hallmark of symptomatic heart failure (HF) requiring hospitalization; however, its role in the pathogenesis of HF progression remains unclear. We investigated whether peripheral VC exacerbates inflammation, oxidative stress and neurohormonal and endothelial cell (EC) activation in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Methods And Results: Two matched groups of patients with HFrEF and with no peripheral VC vs without recent HF hospitalization were studied.

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Recent advances in microbiome research have informed the potential role of the gut microbiota in the regulation of metabolic, cardiovascular, and renal systems, and, when altered, in the pathogenesis of various cardiometabolic disorders, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). The improved understanding of gut dysbiosis in cardiometabolic pathologies in turn has led to a vigorous quest for developing therapeutic strategies. These therapeutic strategies aim to investigate whether interventions targeting gut dysbiosis can shift the microbiota toward eubiosis and if these shifts, in turn, translate into improvements in (or prevention of) CKD and its related complications, such as premature cardiovascular disease.

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Tobacco taxes have reduced smoking and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, yet few studies have examined heterogeneity of these associations by race and gender. We constructed a yearly panel (2005-2016) that included age-adjusted cigarette smoking prevalence and CHD mortality rates across all 50 U.S.

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  • The study investigates whether people living with HIV (PLWH) have different bone characteristics in the mandibular condyle compared to HIV-negative individuals.
  • It involved 212 participants, including 124 PLWH on treatment, who completed pain questionnaires and underwent imaging to assess bone structure.
  • Findings indicate that PLWH have thicker trabecular bone and higher cortical bone volume in their jaw, but no significant differences in joint pain or disorders were noted compared to HIV-negative participants.
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Background: Monitoring COVID-19 infection risk in the general population is a public health priority. Few studies have measured seropositivity using representative, probability samples. The present study measured seropositivity in a representative population of Minnesota residents prior to vaccines and assess the characteristics, behaviors, and beliefs of the population at the outset of the pandemic and their association with subsequent infection.

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COVID-19 continues to be a public health concern in the United States. Although safe and effective vaccines have been developed, a significant proportion of the US population has not received a COVID-19 vaccine. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the demographics and behaviors of Minnesota adults who have not received the primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine, or the booster shot using data from the Minnesota COVID-19 Antibody Study (MCAS) collected through a population-based sample between September and December 2021.

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Background: Heart transplantation (HT) is the gold standard therapy for advanced heart failure, providing excellent long-term outcomes. However, postoperative outcomes are limited by bleeding, infections, and primary graft dysfunction (PGD) that contribute to early mortality after HT. HT candidates with pre-existing hematologic disorders, bleeding, and clotting, may represent a higher risk population.

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Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are disproportionately affected by severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To characterize factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 positivity among LTCF HCWs, we performed a retrospective cohort study among HCWs in 32 LTCFs in the Minneapolis-St Paul region.

Methods: We analyzed the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity among LTCF HCWs during weeks 34-52 of 2020.

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We investigated the relationship between the cognitive status of participants' spouses and participants' own cognitive outcomes, controlling for mid-life factors. Participants ( = 1845; baseline age 66-90 years) from the prospective Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study were followed from 2011 to 2019. We used linear regression and Cox proportional hazard models to estimate whether spouses of people with MCI/dementia had lower cognitive functioning and elevated risk of incident dementia.

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Objective: The plasma proteome preceding diabetes can improve our understanding of diabetes pathogenesis.

Research Design And Methods: In 8,923 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study participants (aged 47-70 years, 57% women, 19% Black), we conducted discovery and internal validation for associations of 4,955 plasma proteins with incident diabetes. We externally validated results in the Singapore Multi-Ethnic Cohort (MEC) nested case-control (624 case subjects, 1,214 control subjects).

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Importance: Factors associated with the risk of dementia remain to be fully understood. Systemic infections are hypothesized to be such factors and may be targets for prevention and screening.

Objective: To investigate the association between hospitalization with infection and incident dementia.

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