Publications by authors named "MATHER K"

Background: Despite the substantial burden of obesity in the United States (US), data on the comprehensive range of comorbidities in different age groups is limited. This study assessed the prevalence of various comorbidities among people diagnosed with obesity (as per ICD-10 diagnosis code) across age cohorts and compared how they differ from people without obesity.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed individuals from all four regions (Midwest, Northeast, South, and West) of the US who had continuous insurance coverage from 2018 to 2020, using a large health insurance claims database (Merative™ MarketScan).

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Aims: To explore the relationship between weight loss and insulin sensitivity in response to tirzepatide or semaglutide.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a post hoc exploratory analysis of a 28-week, double-blind, randomized trial in people with type 2 diabetes treated with metformin, randomized to tirzepatide 15 mg, semaglutide 1 mg or placebo. We evaluated the relationship between change in body weight and change in insulin sensitivity determined from hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp (M value), or from mixed-meal tolerance testing (Matsuda index).

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Beneficial associations between higher fruit and vegetable intakes and risk of depression appear to exist but few studies have focused on adults aged 45 + years and the potential that associations are due to residual confounding has not been tested. This longitudinal study of twins (n = 3483, age 45-90 years) from Australia, Denmark, Sweden and USA, assessed the associations between baseline fruit/vegetable intake and depressive symptoms over 5-11 years using linear mixed effects models. Intakes from food frequency questionnaires were trichotomized.

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A "big two" model has shown stronger cross-cultural replicability and links to theory than other contemporary models of personality trait structure. However, its theoretical and measurement models require better specification. We address this to create an initial English-language version of the Cross-Cultural Big Two Inventory with an empirically informed and culturally decentered approach, meaning that input from global contexts is used from the outset, without prioritizing Western perspectives.

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  • Subcortical brain structures play a crucial role in various developmental and psychiatric disorders, and a study analyzed brain volumes in 74,898 individuals, identifying 254 genetic loci linked to these volumes, which accounted for up to 35% of variation.
  • The research included exploring gene expression in specific neural cell types, focusing on genes involved in intracellular signaling and processes related to brain aging.
  • The findings suggest that certain genetic variants not only influence brain volume but also have potential causal links to conditions like Parkinson’s disease and ADHD, highlighting the genetic basis for risks associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.
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  • Subcortical brain structures play a crucial role in various disorders, and a study analyzed the genetic basis of brain volumes in nearly 75,000 individuals of European ancestry, revealing 254 loci linked to these volumes.
  • The research identified significant gene expression in neural cells, relating to brain aging and signaling, and found that polygenic scores could predict brain volumes across different ancestries.
  • The study highlights genetic connections between brain volumes and conditions like Parkinson's disease and ADHD, suggesting specific gene expression patterns could be involved in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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  • The study investigated how individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia perform on social cognition tests, comparing these results to those without cognitive impairment.
  • It involved a cross-sectional analysis of 321 older adults aged 80 and above, utilizing various social cognitive assessment tools and screening for levels of apathy and neurocognitive function.
  • Findings indicated that participants with dementia showed notably worse social cognitive abilities compared to those with MCI and no cognitive impairment, particularly in emotional recognition and perspective-taking tasks.
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Aim: To comprehensively examine the range of co-morbidities among males and females with a diagnosis of obesity.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study used US commercial and Medicare claims data from Merative MarketScan Research Databases to identify adults (age ≥ 18 years) with a diagnosis of obesity with continuous insurance coverage from 2018 to 2020. Co-morbidities were tabulated based on coded diagnoses, and prevalences were calculated in males and females across age groups.

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Background: Late-life depression (LLD) is characterized by a poor response to antidepressant medications and diminished cognitive performance, particularly in executive functioning. There is currently no accepted pharmacotherapy for LLD that effectively treats both mood and cognitive symptoms. This study investigated whether transdermal nicotine augmentation of standard antidepressant medications benefitted mood and cognitive symptoms in LLD.

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Retatrutide is a novel triple agonist of the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, glucagon-like peptide 1 and glucagon receptors. A 48-week phase 2 obesity study demonstrated weight reductions of 22.8% and 24.

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Introduction: Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a rare genetic condition with a broad phenotypic presentation. This study aims to establish the first Australian cohort of individuals affected by CADASIL (AusCADASIL) and examine its clinical features and longitudinal course, and to investigate neuroimaging and blood biomarkers to assist in early diagnosis and identify disease progression.

Methods: Participants will be recruited from six study centres across Australia for an observational study of CADASIL.

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The assessment of creativity as an individual difference has historically focused on divergent thinking, which is increasingly viewed as involving the associative processes that are also understood to be a key component of creative potential. Research on associative processes has proliferated in many sub-fields, often using Compound Remote Associates (CRA) tasks with an open response format and relatively small participant samples. In the present work, we introduce a new format that is more amenable to large-scale data collection in survey designs, and present evidence for the reliability and validity of CRA measures in general using multiple large samples.

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Context: In a clinical study, tirzepatide, a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GIP/GLP-1RA), provided superior glycemic control vs the GLP-1RA semaglutide. The physiologic mechanisms are incompletely understood.

Objective: This work aimed to evaluate treatment effects by model-based analyses of mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT) data.

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  • A study involving 7,801 older adults examined the connection between fruit and vegetable consumption and the development of depression, finding that higher fruit intake was linked to a lower risk of depression.
  • Over a follow-up period of 3 to 9 years, 21% of participants developed depression, with fruit intake showing a significant protective effect, while vegetable intake did not show a notable association.
  • The authors noted limitations due to varied measurement methods and the relatively modest sample size, suggesting further research is needed on fruit and vegetable consumption in larger, more standardized studies among older adults in low- and middle-income countries.
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  • Individual sensitivity to environmental exposures is influenced by genetics, showing that different genetic makeups can lead to varying reactions to the same environment.
  • A large meta-analysis was conducted using data from nearly 22,000 monozygotic twins to explore genetic influences on seven psychiatric and neurodevelopmental traits.
  • The study found 13 significant genetic associations related to factors like stress-reactivity, growth factors, and catecholamine uptake, highlighting the potential role of genetics in understanding environmental sensitivity.
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Background And Aims: Identifying simple markers of risk for worsening glucose can allow care providers to target therapeutic interventions according to risk of worsening glycemic control. We aimed to determine which routine clinical measures herald near-term glycemic worsening in early type 2 diabetes(T2D).

Methods: The Early Diabetes Intervention Program (EDIP) was a clinical trial in individuals with screendetected T2D [HbA1C 6.

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  • - The study explored how genetic variation and the environment affect gene expression in older adults, focusing on a community sample of 246 individuals (mostly female twins).
  • - Researchers found that about 24% of the analyzed genes showed heritability in blood gene expression, with 5269 significant probes identified, particularly linked to immune response and aging.
  • - Comparisons with other studies revealed that only a small fraction of heritable genes were common, underscoring the necessity of studying gene expression specifically in older populations.
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  • This study explored how the structure of the brain changes with age, specifically looking at the thickness of the cortex and the volume of subcortical areas, using data from over 42,000 participants aged 45-83.
  • Researchers found significant changes in the way brain regions are interconnected as people age, noting increased variability and decreased complexity in these connections.
  • Notably, specific trends in brain region correlations were observed, particularly in the occipital lobe, and older individuals demonstrated distinct structural covariance patterns, with many correlations being associated with cognitive decline that opposed age-related changes.
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Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) susceptibility is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Previous findings suggest DNA methylation as a potential mechanism in T2D pathogenesis and progression.

Methods: We profiled DNA methylation in 248 blood samples from participants of European ancestry from 7 twin cohorts using a methylation sequencing platform targeting regulatory genomic regions encompassing 2,048,698 CpG sites.

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Objective: To gain consensus on the definitions and descriptions of the domains of the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) core domain set for rheumatology trials evaluating shared decision making (SDM) interventions.

Methods: Following the OMERACT Handbook methods, our Working Group (WG), comprised of 90 members, including 17 patient research partners (PRPs) and 73 clinicians and researchers, had six virtual meetings in addition to email exchanges to develop draft definitions and descriptions. The WG then conducted an international survey of its members to gain consensus on the definitions and descriptions.

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Aims: To evaluate the long-term effects of behavioral treatments on glycemic and psychological outcomes for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: Program ACTIVE II was a multicenter randomized controlled comparative effectiveness trial of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exercise (EXER), combination treatment (CBT + EXER) and usual care (UC) for adults with MDD and T2D.

Results: Primary outcomes: change in A1c and depressive symptoms at 6- (N = 87) and 12-months (N = 75) from baseline.

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  • Research on verbal declarative memory (VDM) aims to understand the genetic factors that influence memory decline and dementia in older adults to develop potential interventions.
  • The study analyzed data from over 29,000 older, non-demented Europeans to explore relationships between genetic variants, gene expression, and brain tissues, finding significant associations across various pathways.
  • Results indicated that genetic variations linked to VDM are regulated by genes, transcription factors, and immune-related pathways, highlighting their importance in cognitive performance among older individuals.
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Objectives: Shared decision making (SDM) is a central tenet in rheumatic and musculoskeletal care. The lack of standardization regarding SDM instruments and outcomes in clinical trials threatens the comparative effectiveness of interventions. The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) SDM Working Group is developing a Core Outcome Set for trials of SDM interventions in rheumatology and musculoskeletal health.

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Objective: To define and select rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-specific core domain set for Longitudinal Observational Studies (LOS) within the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) framework.

Methods: A three-round online Delphi exercise, including patient research partners (PRPs) and other community partners in healthcare, was conducted. Domains scored 7-9 (i.

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