Lifestyle and risk behaviors for chronic noncommunicable diseases among healthcare undergraduates in Midwest, Brazil.

This study aimed to assess the lifestyle of undergraduate university students, and to investigate the prevalence of risk behaviors for chronic noncommunicable diseases. This cross-sectional study took place in Brasilia, with 2.163 healthcare undergraduates.

Habitual dietary intake and mediators of the inflammaging process in Brazilian older women.

Aim: This study aimed to assess whether the habitual intake of macronutrients by older women associates with circulating levels of important inflammaging mediators by means of a cross-sectional design with 229 Brazilian elderly women.

Methods: Laboratory tests determined serum IL1α, IL1β, IL6, IL8, IL10, IL12 and TNFα by specific immunoassays. Food records of three alternate days were decomposed into usual intake of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids (and fractions), as well as total energy value (TEV) per patient.

Tailored antihypertensive drug therapy prescribed to older women attenuates circulating levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that antihypertensive drug therapy produces anti-inflammatory effects in clinical practice, this study investigated circulating levels of selected proinflammatory mediators (interleukin-6 [IL-6], tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α], and interferon-γ [INF-γ]) in response to multivariate drug directions for blood pressure (BP) control.

Methods: Prospective study involving 110 hypertensive, community-dwelling older women with different metabolic disorders. A short-term BP-lowering drug therapy was conducted according to current Brazilian guidelines on hypertension, and basal cytokine levels were measured before and after intervention.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines correlate with classical risk factors for atherosclerosis in the admixed Brazilian older women.

Aim: Measurement of inflammatory markers for risk stratification of vascular disorders has been the focus of numerous investigations worldwide, and usually reveals augmented levels of circulating cytokines/chemokines among carriers of classic risk factors for atherosclerosis. Nonetheless, this low-grade inflammatory milieu detected in aged individuals tends to be influenced by body composition. Moreover, cardiovascular risk factors have a complex genetic etiology, and disregarding the genetic heritage may produce spurious results owing to interethnic differences.

Lack of association between apolipoprotein E genotypes and cognitive performance in the non-demented elderly.

Aim: The ε4 alelle of the apolipoprotein E gene is known to be a key genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and possibly for other neurological disorders. Some evidence in the literature indicates that the ε4 allele interferes with human cognition independently of chronological age and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The present study investigated the correlation of allelic variants of apolipoprotein E with the cognitive performance of elderly individuals without apparent cognitive impairment.

Risk of glycemic disorder in elderly women adjusted by anthropometric parameters and cytokine genotypes.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to examine the association of glucose intolerance and type-2 diabetes mellitus with the -174 G > C and -308 G > A allelic variations of IL-6 and TNF-α, respectively, through anthropometric measurements and age strata.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using data from 285 community dwelling elderly women who underwent physical, biochemical, and genetic examinations.

Result: Genotype-unadjusted analysis revealed that the risk of glucose intolerance and diabetes in elderly women with elevated BMI was 1.

Implication of the G145C polymorphism (rs713598) of the TAS2r38 gene on food consumption by Brazilian older women.

To evaluate the capacity to perceive bitter taste in a sample of the elderly population of the Brazilian Federal District, and to investigate its association with the consumption profile of distinct food groups. A total of 255 female outpatients aged 60 years or older took part in this cross-sectional study. The following data were determined for all the volunteers: alimentary frequency by clinical dieticians; genotyping of the G145C polymorphism in the TAS2r38 gene; cognitive status; sensorial (visual and hearing) acuity and drugs related to ageusia or dysgeusia.

Usual dietary intake and cardiovascular risk factors in older Brazilian women.

Aim: To evaluate habitual macronutrient intake and its association with common cardiovascular risk factors in Brazilian elderly women.

Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study with 293 subjects. Carbohydrate, protein and lipid intakes were determined based on a non-consecutive three-day dietary record.

A common polymorphism in the renin angiotensin system is associated with differential outcome of antihypertensive pharmacotherapy prescribed to Brazilian older women.

Background: Since variations on the renin angiotensin (RA) system tend to exert effects on blood pressure, we investigated the association of the common ACE and AT1R polymorphisms with response to a multivariate pharmacotherapy.

Methods: This prospective study involved 169 hypertensive, community-dwelling older women. Genotypes were obtained by length analysis or direct sequencing of PCR products.