Genetic and environmental influences on alcohol consumption in middle to late life.

Objective: Alcohol use is common in older adults and linked to poor health and aging outcomes. Studies have demonstrated genetic and environmental contributions to the quantity of alcohol consumption in mid-to-late life, but less is known about whether these influences are moderated by sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, and educational attainment. This study sought to better understand sociodemographic trends in alcohol consumption across the second half of the life course and their underlying genetic and environmental influences.

EchoSee: An Assistive Mobile Application for Real-Time 3D Environment Reconstruction and Sonification Supporting Enhanced Navigation for People with Vision Impairments.

Improving the quality of life for people with vision impairments has been an important goal in the research and design of assistive devices for several decades. This paper seeks to further that goal by introducing a novel assistive technology platform that leverages real-time 3D spatial audio to promote safe and efficient navigation for people who are blind or visually impaired (PVI). The presented platform, EchoSee, uses modern 3D scanning technology on a mobile device to construct a live, digital 3D map of a user's environment as they move about their surroundings.

Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Older Men With Chronic Pain: Association With Plasma Amyloid Levels and Hippocampal Volume.

Background: Chronic pain leads to tau accumulation and hippocampal atrophy, which may be moderated through inflammation. In older men, we examined associations of chronic pain with Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related plasma biomarkers and hippocampal volume as moderated by systemic inflammation.

Methods: Participants were men without dementia.

A twin analysis to estimate genetic and environmental factors contributing to variation in weighted gene co-expression network module eigengenes.

Multivariate network-based analytic methods such as weighted gene co-expression network analysis are frequently applied to human and animal gene-expression data to estimate the first principal component of a module, or module eigengene (ME). MEs are interpreted as multivariate summaries of correlated gene-expression patterns and network connectivity across genes within a module. As such, they have the potential to elucidate the mechanisms by which molecular genomic variation contributes to individual differences in complex traits.

Spatially distributed atmospheric boundary layer properties in Houston - A value-added observational dataset.

In 2022, Houston, TX became a nexus for field campaigns aiming to further our understanding of the feedbacks between convective clouds, aerosols and atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) properties. Houston's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Bay motivated the collection of spatially distributed observations to disentangle coastal and urban processes. This paper presents a value-added ABL dataset derived from observations collected by eight research teams over 46 days between 2 June - 18 September 2022.

Midlife cumulative deficit frailty predicts Alzheimer's disease-related plasma biomarkers in older adults.

Background: The study explores whether frailty at midlife predicts mortality and levels of biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and neurodegeneration by early old age. We also examine the heritability of frailty across this age period.

Methods: Participants were 1,286 community-dwelling men from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging at average ages 56, 62 and 68, all without ADRD at baseline.

Probable chronic pain, brain structure, and Alzheimer's plasma biomarkers in older men.

Chronic pain leads to tau accumulation and hippocampal atrophy in mice. In this study, we provide one of the first assessments in humans, examining the associations of probable chronic pain with hippocampal volume, integrity of the locus coeruleus (LC)-an upstream site of tau deposition-and Alzheimer's Disease-related plasma biomarkers. Participants were mostly cognitively unimpaired men.

Social and Neighborhood Context Moderates the Associations Between Processing Speed and Driving Mobility: A 10-year Analysis of the ACTIVE Study.

Processing speed is essential to functional independence in later life, such as driving a vehicle. Few studies have examined processing speed and driving mobility in the context of racial differences and social determinants of health (SDoH). This study characterized the longitudinal association between processing speed and driving mobility, and how it varied by race and SDoH.

Harmonisation of read-across methodology for drug substance extractables and leachables (E&Ls).

Health-based exposure limits (HBELs) are derived for leachables from polymeric components that interact with the drug substance which exceed a safety concern threshold (SCT). However, given the nature of leachables, there is not always chemical-specific toxicology data. Read-across methodology specific to extractables and leachables (E&Ls) was developed based on survey data collected from 11 pharmaceutical companies and methodology used in other industries.

Higher cortical thickness/volume in Alzheimer's-related regions: protective factor or risk factor?

Some evidence suggests a biphasic pattern of changes in cortical thickness wherein higher, rather than lower, thickness is associated with very early Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. We examined whether integrating information from AD brain signatures based on mean diffusivity (MD) can aid in the interpretation of cortical thickness/volume as a risk factor for future AD-related changes. Participants were 572 men in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging who were cognitively unimpaired at baseline (mean age = 56 years; range = 51-60).

Chronic Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol treatment has dose-dependent effects on open field exploratory behavior and [H] SR141716A receptor binding in the rat brain.

Aims: Acute and chronic Δ-THC exposure paradigms affect the body differently. More must be known about the impact of chronic Δ-THC on cannabinoid-1 (CB1R) and mu-opioid (MOR) receptor levels in the brain. The present study examined chronic Δ-THC's effects on CB1R and MOR levels and locomotor activity.

Associations of Subjective Memory with Life Space and Neighborhood Built Environment in Older Adults in the ACTIVE Study.

To investigate the longitudinal association of life space and neighborhood and built environment (NBE) with subjective memory among individuals 65 and older, and the mediating role of depressive symptoms, a major correlate of life space mobility, NBE, and subjective memory. We examined community-dwelling participants in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly study ( = 2,622, Mean age = 73.7 years, 24.

A Traitlike Dimension of Subjective Memory Concern Over 30 Years Among Adult Male Twins.

Importance: Subjective memory concern has long been considered a state-related indicator of impending cognitive decline or dementia. The possibility that subjective memory concern may itself be a heritable trait is largely ignored, yet such an association would substantially confound its use in clinical or research settings.

Objective: To assess the heritability and traitlike dimensions of subjective memory concern and its clinical correlates.

Foveated 3D range geometry compression via loss-tolerant variable precision depth encoding.

The capacity of three-dimensional (3D) range geometry acquisition methods to capture high-precision scans at high frame rates increases every year. These improvements have influenced a broadening range of disciplines to implement 3D range geometry capture systems, including telepresence, medicine, the visual arts, and many others. However, its increased popularity, precision, and capture rates have caused mounting pressure on the storage and transmission of 3D range geometry, thus straining their capacities.

Rostral-middle locus coeruleus integrity and subjective cognitive decline in early old age.

Objectives: Abnormal tau, a hallmark Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, may appear in the locus coeruleus (LC) decades before AD symptom onset. Reports of subjective cognitive decline are also often present prior to formal diagnosis. Yet, the relationship between LC structural integrity and subjective cognitive decline has remained unexplored.

Severity and correlates of brain fog in people with traumatic brain injury.

Brain fog is one symptom that has been underexplored in traumatic brain injury (TBI). We explored the cognitive and affective correlates of brain fog in people with symptomatic mild TBI (n = 15), moderate-to-severe TBI (n = 15), and a healthy control group (n = 16). Measures across the studies assessed "brain fog" (Mental Clutter Scale), objective cognition (Useful Field of View® and Cogstate Brief Battery®), post-concussive symptoms (Post-Concussion Symptom Scale), and depressive symptoms (Profile of Moods Scale).

An Automated Virtual Reality Training System for Teacher-Student Interaction: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Shortages in qualified supervision and other resources prevent education personnel from rehearsing effective practices. Interactive simulations, although increasingly used in education, frequently require instructor management. Automated simulations rarely engage trainees in skills related to practice (eg, speech).

HoloKinect: Holographic 3D Video Conferencing.

Recent world events have caused a dramatic rise in the use of video conferencing solutions such as Zoom and FaceTime. Although 3D capture and display technologies are becoming common in consumer products (e.g.

Erectile Function, Sexual Satisfaction, and Cognitive Decline in Men From Midlife to Older Adulthood.

Background And Objectives: Vascular theories of cognitive aging have focused on macrovascular changes and cognitive decline. However, according to the artery-size hypothesis, microvascular changes, such as those that underlie changes in erectile function, may also play an important role in contributing to cognitive decline. Thus, we examined associations between erectile function, sexual satisfaction, and cognition starting in middle age because this represents a transition period where declines in these areas emerge.

Longitudinal associations of pain and cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults.

Pain is inversely associated with cognitive function in older adults, but the effects of pain on cognitive decline are not fully clear. This study examined the associations of baseline pain, pain persistence, and incident pain with changes in cognition across 10 years in a sample of healthy community-dwelling older adults ( = 688; = 74, = 6.05) from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) trial.

Increasing Pain Interference Is Associated With Cognitive Decline Over Four Years Among Older Puerto Rican Adults.

Background: Pain is associated with cognitive decline among older adults, but few studies have investigated bidirectional associations between pain and cognitive decline, especially in older Hispanic populations. Our objective was to assess the bidirectional association between pain interference and cognitive performance in a sample of older Puerto Rican adults.

Methods: Data came from baseline and 4-year follow-up of the Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions Study, a longitudinal representative study of Puerto Rican older adults aged 60 and older.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Structural and Diffusion-Based Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Signatures Across Midlife and Early Old Age.

Background: Composite scores of magnetic resonance imaging-derived metrics in brain regions associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), commonly termed AD signatures, have been developed to distinguish early AD-related atrophy from normal age-associated changes. Diffusion-based gray matter signatures may be more sensitive to early AD-related changes compared with thickness/volume-based signatures, demonstrating their potential clinical utility. The timing of early (i.