Associations of the -174 G/C interleukin-6 gene promoter polymorphism with serum interleukin 6 and mortality in the elderly.

Serum interleukin-6 (sIL6) is an acknowledged predictor of all-cause mortality in older age. A common G/C polymorphism has been identified at position -174 of the IL6 gene promoter (IL6-174G>C), but its associations with sIL6 and mortality are still unclear. Data from a population-based elderly cohort (n=824) were used to study the associations of baseline sIL6 with the IL6-174 C-allele (C+) carrier status and all-cause mortality at 4 years, in the presence and absence of preexisting major diseases (PMD).

Screening for mild cognitive impairment in elderly ambulatory patients with cognitive complaints.

Background And Aims: Identification of patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is strongly recommended because of their increased risk of dementia. Two brief global cognitive instruments, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), were examined as useful screening methods for MCI.

Methods: The sensitivity and specificity of MMSE and CDT, scored using the Sunderland and Wolf-Klein methods, were evaluated in 113 elderly individuals with three different MCI subtypes: amnestic, multiple domain impairments, and single non-memory domain.

Folate, but not homocysteine, predicts the risk of fracture in elderly persons.

Background: Recent prospective studies reported that increased plasma homocysteine levels are an independent predictor of osteoporotic fracture in elderly persons. These studies, however, did not take into account folate and vitamin B12, which are the major nutritional determinants of homocysteinemia.

Methods: Incident osteoporotic fractures were assessed in 702 Italian participants aged 65-94 years with a mean follow-up of 4 years (1999/2000-2003/2004).

Interleukin-1beta and interleukin-6 gene polymorphisms as risk factors for AD: a prospective study.

Risk of incident dementia from any cause and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in relation to the IL-1beta-511 (C-->T) and IL-6-174 (G-->C) polymorphisms was investigated in an Italian elderly cohort (n=791) with 4 years of follow-up. Analyses were adjusted for socio-demographic confounders (age, gender, education), presence of the Apolipoprotein E-epsilon4 allele, and plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), a newly proposed AD risk factor. No significant association was found for the IL-1beta-511 and IL-6-174 polymorphisms with either dementia or AD.

Conversion of mild cognitive impairment to dementia: predictive role of mild cognitive impairment subtypes and vascular risk factors.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is regarded as a precursor to dementia, but not all patients with MCI develop dementia. We followed up 165 elderly outpatients with MCI for a mean of 3 years. The aims were (1) to investigate the risk of conversion to dementia for different MCI subtypes diagnosed according to standardized criteria (amnestic; impairment of memory plus other cognitive domains; nonamnestic); (2) to assess whether the risk of conversion was affected by several established and emerging vascular risk factors.

Homocysteine and folate as risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer disease.

Background: In cross-sectional studies, elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations have been associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. Incidence studies of this issue are few and have produced conflicting results.

Objective: We investigated the relation between high plasma tHcy concentrations and risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD) in an elderly population.

Serum C-reactive protein and cognitive function in healthy elderly Italian community dwellers.

Background: Chronic low-grade inflammation, as measured with the peripheral serum marker C-reactive protein (sCRP), may be a risk factor for dementia in elderly persons.

Methods: The relationship between sCRP and score on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a commonly used screening cognitive measure, was investigated in 540 well functioning, healthy, and cognitively normal elders (age 73 +/- 6 years). Sociodemographic status, lifestyle, health status, traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors including plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), and other peripheral blood markers of vascular inflammation (leukocyte count, serum albumin, and plasma fibrinogen) were also assessed.

Plasma amino acid concentrations in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer disease.

Background: Plasma concentrations of several amino acids may affect the availability of important neurotransmitter precursors in the brain. Abnormalities in the plasma amino acid profile have been reported in elderly persons with cognitive impairment, but no data exist for the prodromal phase of Alzheimer disease (AD), which is characterized by amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

Objective: The objective was to investigate whether the plasma amino acid profiles of elderly patients with aMCI or AD are abnormal.