Hemodynamics of increased pulse pressure in older women in the community-based Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study.

Pulse pressure increases with advancing age particularly in women. As a result, women have a higher pulse pressure than men from midlife onward. Higher pulse pressure in older women as compared to men is often attributed to increased aortic wall stiffness and premature wave reflection.

Enhanced risk for Alzheimer disease in persons with type 2 diabetes and APOE epsilon4: the Cardiovascular Health Study Cognition Study.

Background: Diabetes and the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele (APOE epsilon4) increase the risk for Alzheimer disease (AD). We hypothesize that APOE epsilon4 may modify the risk for AD in individuals with diabetes.

Objective: To examine the joint effect of type 2 diabetes and APOE epsilon4 on the risk of AD, AD with vascular dementia (mixed AD), and vascular dementia without AD.

Zinc and copper modulate Alzheimer Abeta levels in human cerebrospinal fluid.

Abnormal interaction of beta-amyloid 42 (Abeta42) with copper, zinc and iron induce peptide aggregation and oxidation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, in health, Abeta degradation is mediated by extracellular metalloproteinases, neprilysin, insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) and matrix metalloproteinases. We investigated the relationship between levels of Abeta and biological metals in CSF.

Association of olfactory dysfunction with risk for future Parkinson's disease.

Objective: Although olfactory dysfunction is commonly associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), it is not known whether such dysfunction can predate the onset of clinical PD in a community-based population. This study examines the association of olfactory dysfunction with future development of PD in Honolulu-Asia Aging Study cohort members

Methods: Olfaction was assessed from 1991 to 1996 in 2,267 men in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study aged 71 to 95 years who were free of clinical PD and dementia at the time of olfaction testing. Participants were followed for up to 8 years for incident PD RESULTS: In the course of follow-up, 35 men were diagnosed with PD (24.

Ankle-to-brachial index and dementia: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

Background: Measurement of the ankle-to-brachial index (ABI) is a noninvasive test to assess peripheral arterial disease. A low ABI is a strong correlate of cardiovascular disease and subsequent mortality. Evidence indicates the existence of vascular components in the pathogenesis of dementia.

Assessing statistical applications in publications on Alzheimer's disease.

Background/aims: To evaluate statistical applications in publications on Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: Three instruments/checklists were developed: Assessment of Statistical Reporting (ASR; 44 items), Survey of Statistical Designs (SSD; 10 items), and Survey of Statistical Methods (SSM; 7 items). After a pilot testing on 5 AD publications, the instruments/checklists were revised and tested for reliability with a sample of 30 AD articles and for validity with another sample of 10 AD articles from MEDLINE.

Thyroid function, the risk of dementia and neuropathologic changes: the Honolulu-Asia aging study.

Thyroid dysfunction is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). It remains unclear whether thyroid dysfunction results from, or contributes to, Alzheimer pathology. We determined whether thyroid function is associated with dementia, specifically AD, and Alzheimer-type neuropathology in a prospective population-based cohort of Japanese-American men.

White matter lesions and the risk of incident hip fracture in older persons: results from the progetto veneto anziani study.

Background: White matter lesions (WMLs) are associated with hypertension, an increased risk of falling, and impaired physical and cognitive performance that may affect the mechanical effect of falls.

Methods: We hypothesized that WMLs are a risk factor for hip fracture (HF). We studied a sample of 820 community-dwelling Italian persons 65 years and older from the cohort of the Progetto Veneto Anziani Study who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging at baseline.

The Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Memory in Diabetes Study (ACCORD-MIND): rationale, design, and methods.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus and cognitive impairment are 2 of the most common chronic conditions found in persons aged > or = 60 years. Clinical studies have shown a greater prevalence of global cognitive impairment, incidence of cognitive decline, and incidence of Alzheimer disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. To date, there have been no randomized trials of the effects of long-term glycemic control on cognitive function and structural brain changes in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Inaccuracy in self-report of fractures may underestimate association with health outcomes when compared with medical record based fracture registry.

Introduction And Objective: Misreporting fractures in questionnaires is known. However, the effect of misreporting on the association of fractures with subsequent health outcomes has not been examined.

Methods: Data from a fracture registry (FR) developed from an extensive review of radiographic and medical records were related to self-report of fracture for 2,255 participants from the AGES Reykjavik Study.

Human serum albumin levels and cardiovascular risk factors in elderly Japanese-American men: the Honolulu Heart Program.

The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between lowlevels of human serum albumin (HSA) and the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a cohort of elderly Japanese-American men. Using data from the Honolulu Heart Program's fourth examination (1991-1993), HSA levels of 998 Japanese American men aged 71-93 years was compared with plasma levels of fibrinogen, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, diastolic BP, BMI, and fasting blood glucose. HSA was significantly negatively associated with age and fibrinogen, and significantly positively associated with total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, diastolic BP, BMI and fasting blood glucose.

Bowel movement frequency in late-life and incidental Lewy bodies.

It is not known if constipation is associated with the preclinical phase of Parkinson's disease (PD), often characterized by the presence of incidental Lewy bodies (ILB). Such an association could provide evidence that constipation is an early symptom of PD. The purpose of this report is to examine the association between late-life bowel movement frequency and ILB.

Characterization of Japanese-American men with a single neocortical AD lesion type.

Neocortical neuritic plaques (NP) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and usually, both are present. The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study autopsy series includes a significant number of individuals with only one neocortical AD lesion type. These could represent an early phase of the AD process.

AD brain pathology: vascular origins? Results from the HAAS autopsy study.

An increasing number of studies suggest a vascular contribution to Alzheimer's disease (AD). One major question these findings raise is whether vascular disease enhances the formation of AD-like lesions, or whether vascular disease just adds to clinical severity. We examined this question in a fully characterized autopsy sample based on the Honolulu Asia Aging Study.

Hippocampal shape analysis in Alzheimer's disease: a population-based study.

Background: Hippocampal atrophy--particularly of the CA1 region--may be useful as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) or the risk for AD. The extent to which the AD hippocampus can be distinguished in vivo from changes due to normal aging or other processes that affect the hippocampus is of clinical importance and is an area of active research. In this study, we use structural imaging techniques to model hippocampal size and regional shape differences between elderly men with incident AD and a non-demented comparison group of elderly men.

Next steps in Alzheimer's disease research: interaction between epidemiology and basic science.

Epidemiologic studies have provided important clues about the etiology, prognosis and options for prevention and treatment of AD, and sub-clinical changes in cognition and brain structure. A brief review is given of what we have learned from epidemiologic studies of risk factors and natural history. This is followed by a discussion of how these findings could inform the design of basic research strategies that may further the translation of bench science to the clinic and public health arena.

Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study: multidisciplinary applied phenomics.

In anticipation of the sequencing of the human genome and description of the human proteome, the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study (AGES-Reykjavik) was initiated in 2002. AGES-Reykjavik was designed to examine risk factors, including genetic susceptibility and gene/environment interaction, in relation to disease and disability in old age. The study is multidisciplinary, providing detailed phenotypes related to the cardiovascular, neurocognitive (including sensory), and musculoskeletal systems, and to body composition and metabolic regulation.

Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men.

Objective: To determine if levels of serum estradiol and testosterone can predict stroke in a population-based sample of elderly men.

Methods: Serum 17beta estradiol and testosterone were measured in 2,197 men aged 71 to 93 years who participated in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study from 1991 to 1993. All were free of prevalent stroke, coronary heart disease, and cancer.

The relation between apolipoprotein A-I and dementia: the Honolulu-Asia aging study.

The association between apolipoproteins and neurodegeneration is unclear. The authors examined the association of dementia with serum levels of apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) alone and in combination with the apolipoprotein E genotype (ApoE). Subjects were Japanese-American men in Hawaii followed since 1965 in the Honolulu Heart Program cohort and the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

Twenty-six-year change in total cholesterol levels and incident dementia: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

Background: The relationship between total cholesterol levels and dementia is unclear.

Objective: To compare the natural history of change in total cholesterol across 26 years between men who did and did not develop dementia 3 years after the last measurement.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study, 1027 Japanese American men had total cholesterol levels assayed on 5 occasions between 1965 and 1993 and were screened for dementia on 2 occasions between 1991 and 1996.

Insulin-degrading enzyme haplotypes affect insulin levels but not dementia risk.

Background: Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) polymorphism is hypothesized to regulate insulin levels as well as processes involved in neuronal compromise found in dementia.

Methods: We examined the association of IDE haplotypes with dementia and insulin levels in a single well-characterized cohort of Japanese-American men born between 1900 and 1919 and followed since 1965. In 1991, a fasting insulin was obtained; dementia cases were ascertained in 1991 and 1994 in a multi-stage procedure, diagnoses were made according to international guidelines.

Brain aging in very old men with type 2 diabetes: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

Objective: Type 2 diabetes leads to cognitive impairment and dementia, which may reflect microvascular and macrovascular complications as well as neurodegenerative processes. There are few studies on the anatomical basis for loss of cognitive function in type 2 diabetes. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between type 2 diabetes and markers of brain aging on magnetic resonance images, including infarcts, lacunes, and white matter hyperintensities as markers of vascular damage and general and hippocampal atrophy as markers of neurodegeneration in Japanese-American men born between 1900 and 1919 and followed since 1965 in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

Automation of sample mounting for macromolecular crystallography.

A standard sample holder and vial for cryocooled macromolecular crystals has been defined for use with robotic sample changers. This SPINE standard sample holder is a modified version, with added features and specifications, of sample holders in common use. In particular, the SPINE standard meets the precision required for automatic sample exchange and includes a cap that is identified by a two-dimensional datamatrix code as well as an optional vial.